


The Phoenix House

by FlamingoLady



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-27
Updated: 2013-09-07
Packaged: 2017-12-25 22:21:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/958268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingoLady/pseuds/FlamingoLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.</p><p>This story was originally posted on LJ for the 2011 Valentine Veela Fest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Harry was in the library relaxing and trying to read over a few letters concerning new assistants or medical staff when he noticed a letter from Gabrielle Delacour. He hadn’t seen her since Bill and Fleur’s wedding, but she still adored Harry for saving her in the Lake during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. She had been talking with her sister about Harry’s project and was hoping that she could help out in some way. She had just graduated from Beauxbaton and was very interested in counseling or teaching the new Veela in what to expect from their newly acquired inheritance or helping young Veela learn to control their abilities as they grow up.

The Phoenix House had been open now for 1-1/2 years and they were doing very well. Harry had opened his center to help those who had been infected by lycanthropy or Veela newly coming into their powers. He would add others in as needed, like the young girl recently enrolled who had just found out that her grandmother had been involved with an elf and the elvish traits were just coming into play during her generation. Her magic was very erratic and had a different feel than most other witches and wizards. The Phoenix House was something that Harry and Hermione had come up with when Teddy started showing some signs of being more affected than previously thought by his father’s lycanthropy. Hermione, as always, was happy to research and find any help there was to be found in a book. They also found out that hereditary werewolves were uncommon enough that books didn’t get them too far.

**~H/D~**

Harry was a little lost after the war. He had fulfilled his destiny at 17, what else was there for him now? He went back to Hogwarts to complete his NEWTs and he took his job as godfather to Teddy Lupin very seriously. He had always wanted a family and now he had one, even if Teddy was living with Andromeda. Things changed quickly for them, as things so often did for Harry, when Andromeda died a few weeks after Harry and his friends completed their NEWT testing. Harry was now fully responsible for Teddy who was almost 2. He worked out funeral arrangements with Narcissa Malfoy, of all people, who decided that she wanted to give her sister in death what she didn’t have time to in life after the war ended: Love and acceptance. Narcissa was alone in the world for the moment. Lucius was in Azkaban serving 20 years for his role in Voldemort’s chaos. Draco was also imprisoned, but was due out after three years. Narcissa was realizing that she had let Lucius take over too much of her life and her son’s and that she was now paying for this mistake. She was doing her best to play an active part in Teddy’s life and planned for Draco to do the same, if possible, when he was released.

When Teddy turned two, Harry started noticing a few oddities about the little boy. He liked hamburgers as most children his age, but he preferred them quite rare. He was also caught stealing a piece of Harry’s very rare steak at dinner one night. He remembered Bill Weasley’s remark about not having many symptoms of lycanthropy since he was not bitten while Greyback was transformed, but there were some. He quickly contacted Hermione and Bill to see what they could find out and to see how they could help Teddy who was already a very “different” child due to his inherited Metamorphmagus abilities. There wasn’t a lot to be found as hereditary werewolves were fairly rare. Bill was able to help more than the books they had found and this was what started the idea that would turn into a full-time project for himself and several of his friends. Harry decided to convert Grimmauld Place into a center for those who were newly affected or needed help with dealing with issues resulting from the lycanthropy virus. Bill agreed to help and Fleur liked the idea so much that she suggested they expand the services to new Veela as well. She remembered how difficult it had been to learn to control her abilities when she was a child and knew it was even more difficult for some of her friends who were not raised by parents able to train them as her mother and grandmother had trained her.

**~H/D~**

Minister Shacklebolt was contacted by Harry who explained his idea. He was hoping to get help or at least approval from the Ministry for his project or else things may be more difficult than expected. Kingsley knew Harry and how determined he was about any cause he adopted and knew that this would be a great thing for both Harry and the Wizarding world. This was something that had been needed for a long time, but no one had come up with the idea to actually do it until now. He had been quite close with Remus Lupin and knew from many stories about his trials as a child growing up with this malady that Harry’s center could help a great many people. Especially those who were infected during Voldemort’s rise to power and subsequent downfall. Many people had been hurt or infected by Greyback and his group during the war and they were still trying to figure out how to deal with their new circumstances. Harry was proposing to work with the Ministry, Hogwarts, St. Mungo’s and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, who had started a charity in honor of Bill and his injury. They would provide at no or low costs the wolfsbane potion and provide a safe place for the monthly transformations as well as provide assistance from others who were in similar situations. Groups would be run as well as individual sessions depending on the person and their needs. Bill’s wife was also suggesting assistance for Veela children or those adults just coming into their inheritance so they could learn to control their powers and live with the changes these things would make in their lives. Kingsley thought it was a wonderful plan and approved it immediately. He would form a committee to assist on the needed renovations and staffing, but Harry had a head start on them there too. He was going to do this privately if he couldn’t get Ministry approval so had already started on the renovations of Grimmauld Place and had Bill and Fleur as staff. Hermione was also helping as well, but mainly with paperwork and the more non-hands-on portion of the center.

He was so proud of Harry and what he was doing. He had seen him floundering after the war and knew that he wouldn’t follow through with his former dreams of becoming an Auror after all the fighting he had already seen and been party to. That boy was fighting from the time he was fifteen months old and deserved a peaceful life if anyone on the planet did. Kingsley had been worried about the toll that the war had taken on Harry and his friends, but they seemed to have come through very well. Hermione was studying magical law and hoped to become more involved as she got through her training; Ron had followed on to become an Auror; Neville was studying advanced Herbology and was to apprentice with Professor Sprout so that he could take over when she retired in a few years; Luna had taken over the day to day running of the Quibbler, which was becoming more reliable than the Daily Prophet; Ginny had been recruited as a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Harry had proved himself again when he testified for both Narcissa and Draco Malfoy after the final battle ended and the trials began. He made sure that the Wizengamot knew how they had both risked their lives for him and his friends when they could have easily turned them immediately over to Voldemort. He was happy that Narcissa had not been charged with anything, but was quite disappointed when Draco had been sentenced to three-years for his part in letting Deatheaters into Hogwarts as well as the death of Albus Dumbledore. Kingsley had hoped that they would see Harry testifying for him and Draco’s reasons for doing what he’d done would convince them that Draco was only a child doing what he could to keep himself and his parents alive in a horrible situation. That hadn’t happened though. The Wizengamot decided to make Draco into a scapegoat. Of course they would never say this, but their actions proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

**~H/D~**

Harry loved his job. Mainly because he really didn’t view it as a job. He got to spend the majority of the day with Teddy and the other children from the center and he loved seeing their progress. Teddy was getting so big and his control over his Metamorphmagus powers were improving daily. He kept the other children entertained while Harry or another member of the staff prepared meals or attended to the house and animals. Harry had two house-elves on staff to help cook and clean as well as Bill and Lavender Brown who had also been infected during the final battle to assist with the werewolves and Fleur to assist with the Veela. He was still looking for someone to help with Mathilda and her Elvin blood and now that he’d gotten her letter, he was hoping to meet with Gabrielle to help Fleur. They also had a mediwitch on call that would come if needed and she was always there on the days of the Full Moon to assist with administrating the wolfsbane potion. Harry worked with Neville who was growing all of the ingredients for his potions and they employed several Potion Masters who specialized in wolfsbane potions and were even trying to work on improving upon the current incarnation of the blend. They were very good, but none of them were as good as Snape.

Harry gave a small chuckle at that thought. Who would have ever imagined that Harry Potter would be missing Severus Snape, his obnoxious manners and perfect potions? It caught him off guard at times when he remembered that he actually respected the man after everything he’d found out about him and how he died in service to the Order after all. Harry liked to think that Snape and Dumbledore would be proud of him for what he’d accomplished. The Phoenix House was his way of giving back to the Wizarding community without having to fight anymore. He’d had his fill of fighting years ago and didn’t want to do anything other than what he did at the center. He enjoyed helping the staff with daily chores. He enjoyed playing with the kids and animals that they had for companions to the werewolves who did a full transformation at the full moon. He even enjoyed doing mundane things like paperwork and hiring new staff. Harry finally had what he’s always wanted: a normal life.

**~H/D~**

The last few weeks had been very busy for Harry. He had been working with Minerva, Kingsley and a few of his other contacts in the community on finding Mathilda an instructor. They had finally been successful when Minerva had talked with her counterpart at Beauxbaton. Madame Maxime knew of a lovely young woman who had attended Beauxbaton several years ago who had Elvish blood running strongly on her mother’s side of the family. When Harry had contacted her, she was delighted with the prospect of teaching Elvish magic to a girl in a similar situation as she would have been if her mother hadn’t been close with the elf side of her family. She remembered the Delacour sisters and looked forward to an opportunity to reconnect with them as well. Busy but productive, this was how Harry liked things to go at The Phoenix House. 

The full moon was in three days, so everyone was working to make sure the basement was set up for the 4 werewolves they were due to have staying with them this month as well as the animals they used to provide companionship while they were transformed. Harry remembered Remus’ stories about how he got comfort from his friends when they transformed into their animagi forms during the moons to keep him company and they had incorporated that into the normal monthly set up for the wolves. They had provisions set up for food and water also, even though most of them would be sleeping due to the effects of the wolfsbane potion. They had several regulars who preferred to stay at the center to make sure they didn’t do anything they would regret and a number of others who had made other arrangements for after they received their potion.

Harry was busily working on paperwork, making sure all the supplies had been delivered and were available for the people who needed them over the next few days when a knock at the front door distracted him from his task. Quickly looking down at his calendar, Harry saw that he didn’t have any appointments scheduled today and his friends would just use the floo, so he had no idea who would be knocking on his door at 8pm.

When he opened the door, he was shocked to see who was on the other side. Draco Malfoy stood on his porch looking as if he were about to pass out. Harry stared for a moment in shock at Malfoy’s disheveled appearance before remembering his manners and where he was. “Malfoy, are you all right? What can I do for you?”

Looking at Harry with great trepidation, Draco carefully responded, “Potter? But of course it would be you.” Sighing slightly and then turning his lovely silver eyes towards his feet, “I was told that The Phoenix House could help me. I’ve just recently been released from Azkaban and I’m having trouble with some things I’ve just found out about myself and I was hoping that I could get a bit of assistance.”

Harry assumed the worst due to the timing and blurted out, “Oh no, were you bitten or attacked by Greyback or one of his wolves? I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten my manners,” Harry opened the door wider and motioned for the other man to enter, he invited Draco to come inside and sit with him in front of the fire in his library where he’d been working. “Would you like anything to eat or drink? I’m sure we still have some leftovers from supper and we always have water on for tea or coffee.”

Draco replied with a patented Malfoy smirk, “Potter, I never knew you to have manners, but it appears I’ve been proven wrong about you again. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d love a little tea and something to eat. It’s been a long day and I just realized I’ve not eaten since breakfast.”

“Not a problem at all. We had pot roast with vegetables for supper, would that be all right or would you rather have something else?”

Giving a weak smile to his host, Draco replied, “That sounds wonderful.”

Harry quickly called out to one of the kitchen elves they had at the center to bring a plate for their guest along with some tea and pumpkin juice. After just a few minutes, the elf returned with a large steaming tray with two plates of food, one of thick-cut homemade bread and butter, a small teapot and two cups and a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two glasses. Malfoy looked wide-eyed at the spread, but Harry just smiled and thanked the little elf. “Thank you for your help Dipsy. I think we’re done for tonight if you’d like to run off to bed. I’ll take these back to the kitchen when we’re finished.”

Dipsy looked at her master with incredulous eyes and said, “Dipsy will be back to take the tray when Master Harry and his guest are finished. He is not to be acting like a house-elf. That is Dipsy’s job.” She quickly apparated away and left Harry chuckling to himself.

“Well, I think I was just told off by a house-elf. Didn’t know they did that. Anyway, tuck in and we can talk after you’re finished. No offense, but you look a little worse for wear at the moment and I’m hoping some good food will help with that.” Harry offered a warm smile and indulged himself in just a little more from their wonderful evening meal. He glanced at Malfoy several times while they were eating, trying his best to think of why he would be here and what he needed help with from The Phoenix House. He really hoped that it wasn’t a result of more of Greyback’s handiwork. That bastard had caused almost as much trouble as Voldemort in his own way. There were at least fifty witches and wizards known to have been infected by him alone and even more from his pack. He didn’t see any visible scarring and Malfoy certainly had a strong appetite even though the meat was well cooked instead of rare as most lycanthropes preferred at this stage of the moon. Harry decided to let the man eat in peace and wait for his explanation even though he was dying of curiosity.

Draco seemed to sense Harry’s curiosity and tried to eat a little faster than normal so that he could get this over with as quickly as possible. He was exhausted both physically and mentally from all the upheaval in his life that had been waiting for him after his release from Azkaban. He’d hoped to be able to enjoy his freedom as much as possible and linger in his comfortable bed for days with nice warm fires to get rid of the chills and aching bones that never seemed to leave him while he was imprisoned. Unfortunately, he found himself instead sitting to a dinner of leftover, yet still quite good food with his former school rival and he was about to not only apologize but reveal a very embarrassing secret. Pushing away his empty plate and taking another sip of his juice, Draco prepared himself mentally for his task.

“Thank you for a wonderful meal, Potter. I’m sure that I’m the last person you’d ever imagine to turn up on your doorstep.”

“Well, not the last, but certainly not the first I would have expected. Can I get you anything else?”

“No thank you. I know you must be bursting with curiosity, but I have something that I feel that I need to say to you before I do anything else. As you know, I was just released from Azkaban and although it’s not as bad as it was when the Dementors were there, it’s still not a picnic in the park. The one thing that was good about the experience was that I had nothing to do all day but to think. Think about the ridiculous mistakes I’d made, think about how horrible a person I’d been. I realized a lot of things about myself that I’m not proud of at all and I need to apologize for what a total prat I was to you and your friends while we were at school. I was following the idiotic rules that my father had set for me and I now understand how you must have seen me back then. When I think back on all the mean-spirited and awful things I said and did, I have to wonder how you didn’t hex me into the next year.”

“Well, it wasn’t easy at times,” Harry said with a quiet laugh. “But I think that I knew all along that you were just a product of your upbringing as we all were back then. I do appreciate the apology though and I certainly accept it. I’d like to offer one of my own, because we weren’t all that great to you and your friends either. I think it was just one of those things kids have to go through, and we seemed to make it worse because of all the pressures we had on us because of what was going on around us.” Harry reached over his desk and offered his hand to Malfoy.

This was definitely not the response that Draco had expected. He was overjoyed that Potter could see this as a sincere apology though and took the offered hand in a long overdue shake. “You don’t know what it means to me. I know this sounds cliché, but I’m a different person than I was back then. All that time to myself was probably both the best and worst thing to ever happen to me. I saw how I let myself be drawn into things that I had no interest in because my father wanted me to do it. Mother kept quiet for a while, because she thought that I’d made my own choice, but when she saw my doubts she started to fight for me a little.” A sad smile appeared for a brief moment before Draco composed himself and went back to his explanations. “As I’m sure you saw the night on the Astronomy Tower, I had realized that I wasn’t a killer and that I’d also gotten myself in over my head. I thought that I was going to die along with both of my parents at that point if I didn’t follow through with what the Dark Lord had requested of me. I was too scared to go to Snape because I knew that he would be able to help, but would that mean that my parents would be tortured or killed because of me? Who knows, maybe I could have done what he did and come over to your side to help,” a self-deprecating laugh followed. “No, I wasn’t that brave. I’ve always been a coward. At least I see that now. Anyway… After all of this, you’ve forgiven me, probably because you feel sorry for what looks like a broken man sitting in your library, but I still have a bit more to the story if you are willing to listen.”

“Of course, but let me say this first before you continue. I’m not forgiving you because I feel sorry for you. I forgive you because we all did things that we’re not proud of back then. Not only were we children fighting a war that started years before we were born, we were fighting a battle that couldn’t be won. I saw changes in you that no one else saw. I saw you putting your wand down before you could kill anyone, I saw through my visions through Voldemort’s eyes how disgusted you were at having to torture people and even though he didn’t see it that way, I saw how much it hurt you to have to do those evil things to stay alive. That’s why I testified for you and your mother. You both had chances to turn me and my friends over to Voldemort but you didn’t. You both chose to help me and in the end, defeat that insane fucker so that we could free the Wizarding world from the horrors he was already committing and the ones he had planned that were even worse. I know you’re not the same man now because I’m not the same man I was then either. That war changed everyone it touched and if we can’t get past that now, we’re only setting ourselves up for this to happen all over again.”

With a dazed look, Draco sat and tried to digest what had just been laid out for him. It took a few minutes, but he realized that Potter was right and that they really had a similar view on the changes that the war had on each of them. Wow, he agreed with Harry Potter and the world didn’t end. Smiling, he said that out loud to Potter. “I can’t believe that the world is still turning after the two of us have agreed on something. My gods, how can that be?” Looking over, he noticed the grin that graced his former nemesis. “Thank you for listening to me prattle on and thank you for not slamming the door in my face as well. I really do need your help. After my trial, I found out some disturbing news and it’s starting to have some major affects on my life now. My father knew about this but apparently didn’t think it was something that I needed to know about, even though it involved me. According to my mother and her research after finding out the details from father show that many of the pureblood families knew that the magic was thinning due to so much interbreeding with the old families. They found that if they included a Veela into the mix every few generations that this increased the magic and since Veela were considered unique and magical beings, the purebloods didn’t see this as anything other than adding new blood instead of tainting it with Muggles or Muggle-borns. Ironic, don’t you think? We really aren’t all that pure and that’s what’s causing my problems now. Apparently there is a spell that can be used to keep the Veela inheritance from presenting itself. It has to be re-administered three consecutive times three years apart to stop the child from becoming an adult Veela. My father did the spell about a week before the Battle of Hogwarts so that meant that I would need to have had the spell placed on me again sometime around mid-April of this year, but since it wasn’t I’m now coming into my Veela powers and apparently there is quite a bit of Veela in me because the main problem I’m having is that my wings are trying to manifest and I’m constantly in quite a bit of pain. Do you think that you may be able to help with my problem, Potter?”

Harry was feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the information he’d just received in such a short amount of time. He knew about the Veela being introduced to bolster the magic amongst the purebloods, but the fact that Malfoy was now physically changing as well as magically was a new experience for him. He didn’t think that even Fleur and Gabrielle had wings and they were a full quarter Veela. What did this mean for Malfoy and would they be able to help him as much as the others who had only tiny fractions of Veela in their heritage? He would have to talk to Fleur quickly and he was thankful that Gabrielle was coming at the beginning of the week to talk with him about the possibility of helping out as well. It looked like they may need all the Veela assistance they could get.

“Potter, if you don’t think you can be of assistance, I’ll…”

“No! I’m sorry, I was just a bit surprised at your story and had to think of what to do to best be of assistance for you. And by the way, please call me Harry. When you call me Potter, I keep expecting to have to draw my wand on you,” Harry added with a wry grin. “I think we can help a great deal with your situation, but I will need to speak with Fleur about the specifics. I’m mostly just the man who does the paperwork and pays the bills around here. The staff are the ones who run the place. First things first though. You said that your wings are starting to break through? How long has this been happening and do you need any medical assistance because we do have mediwitches on call if you do.”

“Harry,” Draco mumbled to himself quietly. “That’s going to take getting used to.” Looking back up at his companion, Draco answered as best as he could, “I’m not really sure when the wings started developing. I started having problems while I was still in Azkaban, but thought it was just a rash or something like that from the dirty uniforms we were forced to wear. It was a little difficult to keep track of time there but I suppose it was about a month ago when I first noticed anything. I’m not sure if there is really anything that a mediwitch could do for me.”

Harry stood up and walked slowly around the desk, “Would you mind if I took a look to see if it seems like they may need attention?” At Draco’s nod, he turned around and began to remove his robe and the shirt underneath. To Harry’s surprise, the shirt underneath was a very soft looking t-shirt. He’d never expected to see Malfoy in something that casual or Muggle. When the shirt had joined the robe on his chair, Harry moved over to take a look at Malfoy’s back. “Well, it doesn’t look too bad, but I can certainly see why you would be in pain. The skin is stretching over what appears to be the bones trying to grow for your new wings. I’m sure they will be fine, but I’d really feel better if I could have Fleur take a look since she’s the expert. Would you mind if I called her in?”

Draco thought he recognized that name for some reason, but couldn’t place it. “Fleur? You don’t mean the Veela from Beauxbaton who was at Hogwarts for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, do you?”

“Oh that’s right, I didn’t tell you about our staff. Yes, she is the same Fleur. She’s married to Bill Weasley now. He helps with the werewolves along with Lavender Brown and a few others. Fleur is my resident Veela expert and I assure you that she will be most discreet with all of your details, Malfoy.”

“Please, call me Draco, if you can get used to it. I know I’m going to have trouble with Harry. But no, I don’t mind. Is she here or will you have to floo her? Wait! Did you say that a Weasley is married to a Veela? Something there doesn’t fit in my mind.”

Laughing heartily, Harry gave Draco a playful yet stern look, “Yes a Weasley is married to a Veela. Bill is nothing like the Weasley’s you’ve met. He was a Curse Breaker for Gringotts for a while and has long hair and an earring. He and Charlie, the other older brother, are both gorgeous.” Winking, Harry turned quickly to his fireplace and threw in a small handful of powder before calling out, “Third floor, Fleur Weasley.”

Draco stood in shock. A Weasley was married to a beautiful Veela and Harry Potter had not only winked at him, but he’d also referred to two men as gorgeous. He must be losing his mind. Shaking his head, he caught the end of Harry’s request for Fleur to meet them in the library for a few minutes and her acceptance saying she would be right there.

“We should get a few more answers when she arrives. She is wonderful and such a fabulous resource of knowledge. Alright, spit it out Draco. You’ve got a look like Ron on NEWT day, what is it? And I see what you mean about the first name thing.”

Chuckling, Draco answered back, “Well, I’m still a bit in shock that I’m sitting here with Harry Potter, we’ve shared a meal and no harsh words have been spoken on either side. I’m standing in your library shirtless, waiting for a Veela who is married to a Weasley to come and look at my wings and you winked at me and called two men gorgeous. Have I been dropped into an alternative universe after my release?”

Throwing back his head in laughter, Harry laid his hand on his desk for support. “You know, I can see why you would think that. I had a similar reaction after you told me about being part Veela and your apology earlier.” Snickering a little, Harry continued,” As for the gorgeous comment, I hope it doesn’t bother you Draco, but I’m quite openly gay. I’m surprised you haven’t seen something in the Prophet. They seem to make speculations about my love-life just about every other day. I’ll let you in on a secret though.” Motioning for Draco to come closer, Harry whispered in his ear, “I’ve got too much to do here and with taking care of Teddy to have a love-life. If you can believe it, I’ve not been on so much as a single date in over four months. Wouldn’t Skeeter just love to report on that?”

As soon as Harry had leaned into whisper in his ear, Draco had been holding his breath and what he’d said to him had caught his attention as well. How is it, that he hadn’t heard that Harry Potter was gay? He certainly remembered seeing at least two or three articles in the Prophet since his release, but couldn’t remember a word of any of them. The sloppy boy had grown into a quite fit man and Draco was practically shivering from the small puffs of breath in his ear and the warmth coming from how closely Harry was leaning into him.

Harry leaned back onto his desk and smiled at Draco as he quickly turned to his door when he heard Fleur enter. He almost missed the quiet little gasp from Draco as he released the breath he’d been holding in for some time now. He would have to think about that later. He had work to do now. He walked over to Fleur and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek and then introduced her to Draco. “Fleur Weasley, I would like to introduce you to Draco Malfoy. You may have met him at Hogwarts as he was in my year there.”

Fleur moved with that lovely Veela grace that seemed to infuse her entire being. She reached Draco and took his hand in hers while smiling at her new charge. “’Ello Draco. “Arry has mentioned zat you are just coming into your Veela inheritance and need assistance from us. Eez zat correct?”

Taking the offered hand and kissing the back as was meant, Draco gave her a dazzling smile before replying, “Yes, that is correct. I explained to Harry that my father knew about this but they have been using a spell to avoid the full manifestation of the Veela aspects for several generations from what I understand. I also mentioned that I’m apparently growing wings. Is that normal for someone that isn’t mostly Veela?”

Fleur tilted her head to each side then got a very perplexed look on her face. “Wings? What do you mean wings? I am a full quarter Veela and I do not ‘ave wings. Are you sure zat one of your parents or grandparents weren’t Veela?”

“No, they are all pureblood wizards and witches on both sides for parents and grandparents. I did bring a copy of the family lineage for both the Malfoy and Black sides of my family. From what my mother could figure out, both families marked the Veela parent with a small feather on their name. I don’t remember seeing one for several generations back on either side. How is it that I’m the only one who is having this problem? I can’t imagine that everyone on both sides of the family knew to use this spell or they would grow wings! That’s not possible is it?”

Harry could tell that Draco was starting to panic a bit and he stepped over to the other man and placed a hand on his shoulder in what he hoped would be a comforting manner. “Draco, we will work this out, yeah? That’s why we have Fleur here. She will help us figure out what’s going on with you and what we need to do to deal with it. Are you okay? Do you need some more tea? Maybe something stronger?”

Draco looked at Harry as if he may start crying or screaming or maybe both at the same time. He looked at Harry’s hand and then grabbed onto it like it was a lifeline. “Harry, please help me before I go mad.” His head was spinning at Fleur’s reaction to his wings. How could he do this alone? His mother had already done everything she could and Draco didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. She wasn’t in the best of health and he was very worried about her now. Most of his former friends had moved out of the country or hadn’t tried to reconnect after his release. The only person who still kept in contact was Pansy, but she was involved with someone right now and apparently she didn’t think he would approve so hadn’t mentioned a name yet. What he wouldn’t give for a partner to share this with. Someone who could hold him when he was scared and kiss away the tears. Fat chance for a former Death Eater.

Harry seemed to understand what Draco was feeling because he moved his hand from Draco’s shoulder and put it around his waist and pulled the distraught man into a tight embrace. Whispering soothing words in his ear, Harry led Draco over to the sofa and sat them both down. Draco was shaking, but Harry didn’t think that he was crying. He was still doing his best to ease Draco’s fears. This must be nerve wracking. He motioned to Fleur to pull a chair up close to them because he remembered her saying at one point that Veela were very tactile and they needed touching to ease extreme emotions. He was pretty sure that this situation qualified. “Draco, Fleur is going to join us and explain a few things that might make this a little easier for you. She’s going to take your hand, is that alright?”

Draco was still leaning into Harry’s embrace, but shook his head so that Fleur knew that he was alright with her touching him. Being held was a new experience for Draco. He’d not had much sexual experience, but the lovers he had been with hadn’t really been the cuddly sort. The only friend who enjoyed that sort of thing was Pansy, but she was way too handsy most of the time so he didn’t enjoy her touches and then there were his parents. Lucius Malfoy would never show any emotion, good or bad, so he was not an affectionate parent. He also found offense when Narcissa showed too much attention to Draco, even as a small child so other than the occasional quick squeeze for encouragement or congratulations, he never really got hugs from her either. This was such a wonderful feeling, warm and safe in the arms of another human being. He slowly calmed himself and sat up to look into Fleur and Harry’s concerned faces before saying, “Thank you. I’m so embarrassed at having gotten so upset in front of you. Please forgive me.”

With smiles from both of his companions, Fleur began to speak. “Do not worry about zat, Draco. You weel find yourself growing more emotional at times and requiring touch from those around you. Zat eez something zat the Veela blood eez doing. Eet weel be very different for you, as most people do not really touch casually unless you are well acquainted, but please feel free to do zat with myself and ‘Arry. Also, my sister eez coming soon and may be ‘elping me wiz my duties ‘ere so you can count ‘er as someone to trust if you need zat type of attention. I’m going to ask a few questions about your background zat may seem overly personal, but I need to know these things to ‘elp me figure out ze best way to assist you. Do you feel up to zat right now?” Patting Draco’s hand, she continued at his nod. “Does what we’re doing make you uncomfortable in any way?” Negative head shake. “Do you ‘ave someone zat you are currently in a relationship wiz?” Another negative. “Eez this type of touching something zat you are used to, maybe felt necessary before your changes?” No again. “Eez there anyone else in your life zat we will need to explain this change to and eef so who?”

Quietly Draco thought about what was being explained to him. He knew that his mother would need to know these things, but would she be alright or would she assume that this was only something that was being done because she wasn’t a better mother? She had already said as much about his Mark and also his stay in Azkaban. Harry still had his arm around his shoulders and the other hand was a soothing presence on his knee, while Fleur had his hands between her two soft hands and he’d never felt more at ease. This gave him the courage to try and explain about his mother. “Well,” he started hesitantly. “My mother will need to know what is going on. I’m quite worried about her reactions to this though. She feels responsible for everything that happened to me and I’m afraid this will just be another thing to add to her list of failures as a mother. Father discouraged her being affectionate with me at a very young age and to avoid him taking his disappointment in her out on me, she went along with his rules. She is very fragile at the moment and I’m concerned about her health as well as her mental stability after all the things that have happened to our family over the last ten or so years.”

Squeezing his shoulder, Harry smiled and said, “Of course we can help with that. Narcissa is stronger than you think. We just need to make sure that she knows this is something that is new because of the changes the Veela blood is having on you and that she couldn’t have changed anything in the past since it is something new. Would that be good?”

“Yes, it would. Thank you both again for all of your help tonight. This is such a huge change that was sprung on me and I’m just having trouble accepting it. Honestly Harry, I still can’t understand how you’re being so wonderful to someone who treated you worse than a stray dog on the street for far too many years. I don’t know if I could be so gracious if I were in your position.”

Chuckling and giving another encouraging squeeze, Harry replied, “Draco, this is what I do. It’s my job and I love it. I will say this again though; you are a totally different man now. I can barely see any resemblance to that spoiled child I knew at Hogwarts. You have grown into a much more mature person and you are taking responsibility for your actions. That means a lot in my book and I would like to get to know the new you. I can’t promise that everyone will see it that way, some of my best friends included unfortunately.”

“So you really don’t mind me hanging on you if I feel insecure or just need to be touched? Gods but that feels strange to ask.”

Pulling Draco closer under his arm in a loose hug, Harry winked and teasingly responded, “Why in the world would I mind a handsome man hugging me or hanging off my arm? I think that sounds like a lovely idea.”

Fleur giggled and lightly smacked Harry’s arm, “Now don’t scare off our new friend, ‘Arry! I am looking forward to working wiz ‘im and finding out how this situation came to be. Draco, I promise zat we weel ‘elp you and ‘opefully we will ‘ave some fun while doing eet as well. I ‘ope zat you will be able to trust me while we work.”

Smiling shyly with a lovely blush from the remarks from both companions, Draco quietly shook his head and replied, “I thank you both for your kind words and I look forward to working on this with you as well. Oh yes, Fleur, before we were distracted with my freaking out, you were going to look at my back where the wings are trying to grow in. Would you mind taking a peek?”

“Oh! I’m so sorry Draco! We were distracted and I almost forgot. Please turn around so I can see. I need to make sure there eez no infection as this can cause considerable pain.”

Both Fleur and Draco stood up and Draco turned so she could see his back. Harry stood up as well and pointed to where he could see the bones growing and pressing on the skin of Draco’s back. He lightly ran his fingers over the irritated skin and was asking Fleur a few questions, but the touches were so calming and pleasant that Draco almost felt like purring. He started back to reality when he heard Fleur call his name. “Sorry, what was that?”

Smiling indulgently, Fleur commented, “I should ‘ave mentioned to ‘Arry zat ‘e should be careful where ‘e touches you because ze wings are a very sensitive spot for a Veela. Almost like scratching a kitten behind ze ears or under ze chin. Eet eez almost inappropriate unless you are ze mate of ze Veela you are touching there.”

“But that felt lovely,” Draco said with a confused look. “It didn’t feel sexual at all, more just comforting.”

“I theenk you may ‘ave misunderstood or I did not explain very well because I did not mean zat eet was sexual. Eet eez more intimate than sexual. Let me put eet another way, in a human, this gesture eez like a partner rubbing your chest or stomach. Eet eez something you take comfort and pleasure from, but eef someone else were to do ze same thing, you may not feel comfortable wiz eet.”

Nodding slowly, Draco asked, “I understand. But why would I have been comfortable enough for Harry to do that? We used to hate each other and have really just come to a truce tonight. I would think that I should have felt at least slightly ill at ease with him touching me so intimately, shouldn’t I?”

“Not necessarily. I was one of the people who helped comfort you when you were upset and I was also a familiar face for you. You remembered Fleur from a brief encounter, but you never really interacted with her. You and I have known each other since we were eleven and even though we didn’t like each other; you knew that I had a different opinion about you now. All of these things made it different for you as well. Your mind made me into a safe person to provide comfort and be close to you. If you would rather I not be that close, I would totally understand. You are…”

“No!” Draco realized how that must have sounded and a reddish tint made its way up his cheeks in a lovely blush. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be so desperate, or so loud.” Smiling shyly at Harry, he continued, “I know that you are a safe person for me to be around and I really enjoyed the touch. It was more comforting than I care to admit, but I see that it is something that I need at the moment so I welcome it. I can’t begin to tell you two how much I appreciate your time and assistance tonight. I have been thinking of what to do about this since I found out and inside, I’ve been silently panicking about what would happen to me and how I would react to different things. I can see this becoming easier to deal with now that I have help. Now back to what we were originally talking about. What did you see when you looked at my wings?”

“They look just fine for ze moment. I would like to ‘ave them looked at by our mediwitch tomorrow eef you wouldn’t mind. Also, eef you wouldn’t object, I would like to ‘ave a closer look at ze family trees. Eet may ‘elp me to see ‘ow much Veela blood we are looking at.”

“Of course. Please feel free to keep them as long as you need to. They are only copies. We have the Malfoy line on a magical tapestry at the Manor.”

“Really? I’ve got one of the Black line here as well. Although your lovely Aunt Walburga took the liberty of removing a number of the less suitable members. It’s actually right over there.” Harry walked over to the far wall and lit a few candles so that the tapestry could be seen. It was beautiful, but there were numerous large burn marks where people had been removed by what looked like some nasty hex. Draco looked closely at the tapestry as this was quite different from the Malfoy one at home. The Malfoy line was displayed on a large wall in his father’s study on a midnight blue tapestry with the names displayed in twinkling stars and shooting comets. This one was lighter and most of the names were displayed surrounded by vines or branches and leaves.

“I can’t believe that she would have disfigured such a treasured magical tapestry even if some of the people weren’t what she would have approved of. I’m almost surprised to still see mother on there. She never approved of my father. I’m still not sure why since he has a sterling pedigree and that seemed to be what she held dear over her own children. I’m really sorry that I didn’t get to know Sirius. From what I’ve heard about him, he sounded like a wonderful man.”

Sadly looking at the black mark where Sirius’ face should have been, Harry gave Draco a weak smile. “Thanks for that Draco. He was amazing. He was the only family that I ever got to meet and he was taken away way too soon. I see now how he was far too lenient with me as a child. He let me in on Order business when I was only 15. Then again, I got rid of our insane upstart of a dark wizard when I was 17. Anyway, let’s get back to you, Draco. Do you have a place to stay tonight? I didn’t even ask earlier if you were staying with your mother at the Manor or if you had your own place. If you don’t, we have more than enough room for you to stay with us. We normally have at least one or two of our clients staying with us. Otherwise, we will need to make arrangements for tomorrow so that we can meet and discuss things a little further and come up with a schedule. We also have to arrange an appointment with the mediwitch so that she can take a look at your wings. Fleur, can you think of anything I’m forgetting for now?”

Watching the Veela shake her head in the negative, Draco’s mind started spinning again. It must have shown on his face, because Draco suddenly noticed that each of his companions had hold of one of his hands. Smiling at them, Draco said, “Thanks, I needed that. As to your questions, I was staying at the Manor, but if I could stay here, that would be wonderful. I’d like to keep mother away from this as much as possible until I know what exactly is going on. She worries so much and her health is more important to me than anything. I would be open for discussion any time that you are available and a mediwitch visit would be most appreciated. Harry, you mentioned a schedule. What type of schedule would that be?”

“We have found that things work better when set to a schedule. Most of our clients are a lot like you, they have just found out they have something they need to deal with but they aren’t sure how to do it and the structure of a schedule seems to help. We have classes and group sessions as well as individual sessions if they are needed. We have medical staff and that includes mindhealers also. The sessions I’m speaking about are very helpful, even if you don’t participate at first. The groups help with clients sharing experiences and concerns with others who share their same problems. Of course, not everyone is in the same situation nor are they all at the same stage of progress. Currently we have 3 young Veela and 2 adults who have recently come into their inheritance. Their group is always very spirited as the children are quite outspoken. I think you will be very popular in there because there is only one other male in the group. Probably best to prepare yourself for admirers,” Harry added with a smirk.

Draco returned his smirk and winked at Harry, “I’m always a fan of admirers, but I play for your team Harry. I don’t think that I will be interested in anyone in the group unless it’s the male.” Chuckling at the expression on his face, Draco turned to Fleur and asked, “I did have one thing that I’ve heard that caused great concern for me. I read in several texts that Veela have a destined mate and that they will die if they don’t join with them. Is this true and how does that work exactly? What if it’s someone that I can’t stand or that I’m not physically attracted to? Would I still have to join myself with them?”

“I’m glad zat eet appears you ‘ave done some ‘omework, but ze whole zing about a destined mate is ridiculous. I zink zat eet was something zat was made popular by ze romance novels. Eet eez true zat a Veela will only fall in love once and zat will be your mate. Ze instincts in you are intuitive and they are strong. You will find one person zat you are attracted to and not only physically, but on a spiritual level as well. You will know eet eez your mate, but eet eez not predestined. Eet eez just like falling in love. You weel be comfortable wiz zat person in every way and they weel return your feelings. Zat eez one thing zat ze Veela instincts know. Eet will never make you bind yourself to anyone you are not compatible wiz and you weel not be bound to a person you only ‘ave a physical attraction to. Veela are very complicated creatures,” Fleur giggled and threw a teasing wink at Harry and Draco. “We are not promiscuous but we are sexual creatures. We also know zat a one-off weel not satisfy us so we tend to be more discriminating in our partners. I was only involved wiz one other person before my Bill. We dated for a majority of the time I was at Beauxbaton, but we both knew eet wasn’t something zat would last for either of us. Eet was lovely while we were together, but she was also Veela and knew zat her heart would belong to a man as did I. She eez still one of my closest friends and has a wonderful mate just as I do.” Looking at the stunned expression on both men’s faces, Fleur laughed loudly and teased, “What, you are so shocked zat I was wiz a woman when you are both lovers of men? Zat doesn’t seem fair.” Laughing even more as the expressions became even more surprised at her comment, she added, “I know, you thought zat I was unable to ‘ave a real relationship because I wasn’t wiz my mate? Zat eez a common mistake. Bill and I fell in love quickly, but eet was not instantaneous. Don’t expect to be hit as eef with a spell when you meet your mate, Draco. For all we know you have known ‘im since you were a boy and just never realized it was ‘im. It might even be our lovely ‘Arry.” Giggling more than before, she waved to both men and said that she would see them in the morning before leaving for her own room.  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Harry looked at Draco again and released a long breath. “Wow. That was unexpected. I seem to learn something new about her and all too often her sex life with Bill almost every day.”

“What??? Do you mean that she is that open all the time about her love and sex life? I don’t know that I can do that. I can talk about sex with close friends, but it’s still not an everyday thing. Hell, what am I saying? I don’t have any friends left.”

“Sure you do. You’ve got me and Fleur. I’m sure that soon you’ll have others too.”

“But you’re not a friend. You’re a professional trying to help someone who’s broken. I’m afraid I’m like that Muggle egg, what was its name?”

“Are you talking about Humpty Dumpty? Oh Draco, you’re not broken beyond repair. And I am a friend. I’m doing my job, but I told you earlier that I want to get to know the new you. This Draco is someone I’m enjoying spending time with and I’d very much like to get to know you better.” Harry could see how close Draco was to falling apart again. He went to his desk and poured them both a cup of tea and went back to the sofa and motioned for Draco to sit back down. “How are you doing? I know you got a lot of information tonight and apparently your mother didn’t let you know that I ran this center so that started the evening off with shattered expectations, I’m sure.”

Draco took a sip of his tea and noticed that he’d put his shirt on inside out. He quickly took it off and put it back on before realizing that he’d just practically undressed in front of Harry without even thinking about it. When he peeked at him, he noticed that Harry had a faraway look on his face that Draco couldn’t really decipher. He was starting to feel like one of the spun glass ornaments they always had on the Yule tree at the Manor that was so fragile that the slightest movement would dislodge them and they would smash on the floor. He felt like he was a hairsbreadth from falling off that tree. He didn’t know what to do with all the information he’d received tonight and yet he felt so much better knowing that he had someone who would be helping him to assimilate all of these changes into his life. He was happy to know that he wasn’t going round the bend with all the changes to his personality as well. He knew now that his sudden need for touching was because of the Veela part of him. Hopefully he wouldn’t drive Harry and Fleur to drink by needing to be held all the time like a child.

Harry let Draco sip his tea and start to process everything he’d found out tonight. He was a little surprised when Draco took off his shirt without a second thought to Harry. He wasn’t sure what he was up to until he saw him turn the shirt right-side out and put the shirt back over the beautiful chest that had been revealed to him. Harry knew that he shouldn’t be looking at Draco like this since he was a client, but he couldn’t help himself. The porcelain skin was too lovely not to look at and even though he had only recently gotten out of prison, the muscles were already starting to reappear. He started to sense a difference in Draco’s posture as if he were once again getting a bit frazzled. Harry reached over and lightly put an arm around Draco’s shoulder and pulled him closer. “What can I do to help make this a little easier for you? I can tell this was overwhelming.”

“Would you mind holding me? I feel like an idiot asking for that from you of all people.”

“Don’t worry about it, Draco. You are still getting used to new changes in your body and with your emotions. It’s to be expected. Now come here. I’ve always been good at cuddling, Teddy tells me that all the time.” Pulling Draco’s head down onto his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around the shaking man beside him just before he started feeling the sobs wracking the smaller man’s body. He wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, but he knew that it always made Teddy feel better, so he lifted Draco onto his lap where he could hold him closer and try to soothe his tears. “Let it out. You need to get this out of your system and I’m sure you’ve been holding this back for a long time. You’re safe, Draco. I’ve got you for as long as you need. Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do.” He felt Draco shaking his head, but moved closer into Harry’s embrace. He hoped that Draco wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with him after this breakdown. Unfortunately, it was very common amongst the new clients. Most of them preferred to hug Fleur though.

He also worried about how he would handle his ever present schoolboy crush. Harry was honest with himself and that meant admitting he had been attracted to Draco Malfoy for a very long time. Holding him like this was so nice and he really didn’t want to let him go, but he also didn’t want to make Draco uncomfortable about coming to him since he felt safe with Harry. He would just have to bury those feelings because he couldn’t risk hurting Draco.

“Uncle Harry?” He could hear the little boy calling to him from the kitchen at the other end of the hall.

Harry hushed Draco quickly, “Don’t worry, it’s just Teddy. Is it alright if he comes in?” At Draco’s nod, he called out to his godson that he was in the library. They could hear tiny little feet running quickly down the hall and burst into the library. Teddy was in his dragon pajamas and his hair was dark green and matched his favorite dragon, the Romanian Longhorn. He stopped quickly when he saw Harry was holding a man he didn’t know on his lap. “Come on in Teddy. I want you to meet someone.” Reaching a hand out to the boy, he pulled him a bit closer to himself and Draco, who was finally starting to calm down and was looking curiously at the green haired young man in front of them.

“Teddy Lupin, I would like you to meet Draco Malfoy. He is your cousin and Auntie Cissy’s son. Do you remember her talking about him?” Teddy shyly nodded while looking at his slipper-clad feet.

“Auntie Cissy?” Draco whispered.

“Teddy, can you say hello to Draco?”

“Hello,” he replied with a sweet smile. “Want to see a trick?” When he saw Draco nod, he started to concentrate on the dragon on his knee and quickly a large golden horn appeared where his nose had just been and then started giggling at Draco’s shocked expression.

“That’s brilliant! What else can you do?” At that prompt, Teddy started going through all of the dragons on his pajamas and changed his hair and horn to match four more dragons and then ended up with his favorite pig face which was one that made Harry slightly sad thinking of Tonks.

Draco got a mischievous look on his face and motioned Teddy over to him so he could whisper in his ear. Teddy got a huge grin on his face and shook his head then suddenly, Harry was looking at a three-year-old version of himself. Teddy now had messy black hair and his signature lightning bolt scar on his forehead. All three of them laughed at Teddy’s impression of his godfather before he quietly asked Draco, “Why are you on Uncle Harry’s lap? Did you have a nightmare? I have those sometimes and that always makes me feel better.”

“Teddy! You can’t ask grown-ups things like that.”

“I just thought I would tell him that you made me feel better in case he was scared.”

“Thank you, Teddy. I appreciate you telling me that. I didn’t have a nightmare, but I was really scared about something and Harry was helping me calm down. Thank you for letting me borrow him.”

Teddy gave Draco one of his blindingly beautiful smiles that usually made Harry’s day. “You’re welcome. You can borrow him as long as you need, as long as we can share him if I need him too.”

Grinning at the little boy, Draco nodded at him and then said, “It’s a deal. Do you live here with your uncle?”

“He’s not really my uncle, I just call him that. He’s really my godfather and I live here with him since I don’t have parents and my gran died when I was a baby. I do still have Auntie Cissy who likes to come see me every few weeks. She’s your mum, isn’t she?” Draco nodded yes and Teddy went on, “She’s nice. She brings me presents sometimes. She gave me my pajamas and I have some stuffed dragons too. Do you like dragons?”

Giving Harry a quick smile, he turned back to Teddy and said, “Yes I do. My name actually means dragon. I’ll bet that I have the same dragons that you do at home in my bedroom. Mum loved to try finding new dragons for me wherever she would go.”

“Really? Cool! Can I see sometime?”

“You can as long as your Uncle Harry says it’s alright. I’ll be staying here for a little while though.” Motioning Teddy close again, Draco gave a loud whisper as if telling the boy a big secret, “I just found out that I’m part Veela and Harry and Fleur are going to help me. That’s why I was afraid.”

Giving Draco a solemn nod, Teddy took Draco’s hand in his and squeezed tightly before saying, “They are really good at that. My daddy was a werewolf and Uncle Harry opened this place for me when I started getting werewolf trades…” Traits, Teddy.” “Oops! Traits. He didn’t know how to help me so he got Uncle Bill to help. Uncle Bill got hurt by a bad werewolf at Hogwarts but he’s a good werewolf and helped me figure out how to not be bad.”

Harry noticed that Draco seemed to pale considerably at Teddy’s comment about the werewolf at Hogwarts. He tried to get his godson to go back to bed so that he could talk to Draco just a little more then get him settled into his new room. Once Teddy was headed back to his bed, Harry turned to Draco once again and let him know that Bill didn’t blame him for what happened. “Bill feels the same way I do, Draco. He knows that you were a child who had been forced to do things that you didn’t want to do so that you and your parents could get out of the war alive. He doesn’t blame you, he blames Voldemort. And to some extent, your father. Please don’t feel uncomfortable about this. Alright?”

Sighing glumly, “I suppose. I still don’t know how you and he could not blame me for so many of the horrible things that happened. I’m really glad that you don’t though.” Draco turned back into Harry’s chest and hugged him tightly.

“Draco, please don’t let this hold you back. You are going to have a lot of things to work through and this is something in the past that is of no consequence now. How are you feeling? I know from experience that a good long cry can help make me feel so much better and then Teddy and those sweet, little boy smiles and giggles make me feel even better than that.”

“I do feel much better, thank you. How does he do all that stuff? That’s not anything with the werewolf traits. He’s amazing, and Auntie Cissy? My mother is sweet and brings presents for a werewolf pup? And how am I his cousin?”

Laughing gently before answering, Harry started in, “Taking lessons from my godson, are you? Let’s see, in the order that you asked, he is a metamorphmagus like his mother, yes your mother comes to see him and spoils the little bugger rotten, and lastly, he is the son of your cousin Nymphadora Tonks. Her mother was your mother’s sister and they had been estranged for years and before she got the chance to reconcile with her, Andromeda died and that’s how I got Teddy. I have to say that was a huge shock for an eighteen year old boy.”

“Wow. This is a day full of revelations, huh? I remember Mother mentioning another sister, but I didn’t know that Tonks was my cousin. I remember seeing her during the war and I think Severus mentioned her once or twice. I wish I’d gotten the chance to meet her properly. So she was married to Professor Lupin? I didn’t know that werewolves could have children. Isn’t that dangerous for Teddy?”

“I think that you would have liked Tonks. She was so funny and a fierce fighter. She was an Auror, in case you didn’t know. As for your other question, we didn’t know what would happen with Tonk’s pregnancy because we didn’t know they would be able to have children either. Remus was very worried. He almost left her so that he wouldn’t cause her any more trouble. I found him in here one night and ended up talking him out of leaving and that’s how I was made Teddy’s godfather. He’s been a pleasure to be around. He’s rarely unhappy and he can brighten everyone’s day with a smile or some of his tricks. We started noticing the werewolf traits around his second birthday. He was starting to steal bits of rare steak from me at dinner or ask for his hamburger to be “redder” and we had to try and find out what we could. There isn’t a lot of information to be found on children of werewolves so we had to kind of make things up as we went along. Bill was only clawed by Greyback, not bitten while he was transformed, so he doesn’t have a full transformation. He has some of the traits that are similar to what we’ve seen with Teddy, like eating rare or raw meat near the full moon and craving to be outside running during the moons also.”

Trying to stifle a yawn, Draco gave Harry a sleepy sad smile and asked quietly, “Would you mind terribly if I asked to go to bed? I’m suddenly feeling absolutely knackered.”

“Oh I’m so sorry! I should have realized that sooner. It’s really late and I’m sure that you’re exhausted. You’ve had a very emotional night. Let me show you to your room and you can settle in. You can find me in the morning in here whenever you get up so that we can work out your schedule. I’m going to put you in the room across from mine, so if you need anything feel free to knock on my door. Do you need anything to sleep in?”

“No, thank you for the offer though. I have my trunk shrunken down in my robes, so I have everything I need. Has this really only been one night? I feel like this has been at least a week.”

“I’m sure it does, but it really has only been one night. It’s only midnight. Imagine all that only taking about four hours.” Harry leaned in for a quick hug and started to lead Draco towards the stairs and his new room. He hoped that Fleur had mentioned their new guest to the house-elves because Harry had completely forgotten. “Let’s get you settled and I have a feeling that you will be sleeping pretty soundly tonight. You looked really tired when you got here and I can’t imagine this has helped any. I hope that your room will be satisfactory. I’m sure it’s nothing like the Manor,” Harry said teasingly.

A sad smile appeared on Draco’s face, “Believe me, I’m sure that I’ve had worse.”

“Draco, I’m so sorry. I seem to keep sticking my foot in it. Damn, it almost feels as if I’ve gone back to Hogwarts before I learned how to speak to other people.” Shaking his head, Harry moves up the stairs. He walked down the hallway and peeked in on Teddy. The sweet little boy was clutching one of his dragons with one hand and had the thumb from the other hand securely in his mouth. Harry motioned Draco to come take a look at the sleeping boy before moving quietly over to pull the blanket a little higher so he was covered up to his chin. He placed a quick kiss on his forehead before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

“You are so good with him. How old is he?”

“Thanks, I adore him. He’s three, almost four. He was born four months to the day before the Battle of Hogwarts and I’ve had him since he was about a year and a half. It’s been hard for both of us, but your mother and my friends have really helped out a lot. I’m really surprised that she didn’t mention me or Teddy to you because she’s mentioned to me several times that she wanted you to be involved with him like she is. She was crushed when she found out about Andromeda. She had been trying to find a way to reconcile with her and then Andi had gotten dragon pox when Teddy had them. It’s nothing for children to get over, but apparently it’s horribly bad for adults. I went by to check on them and heard Teddy crying so I let myself in and found her in the kitchen. She’d passed out and hit her head on the table. By the time I got someone from St. Mungo’s there, she was already gone. I really miss her and I knew that she was really unhappy about not having your mum in her life so I made sure to contact her. That’s when I found out that she was trying to work up the nerve to apologize for all the years they hadn’t been in contact. She was so upset and then she found out about Teddy. At first, she wanted to take him, but then she saw how comfortable he was with me and how he still wasn’t taking to her that well. She helped me with all the funeral preparations and then started coming by to see Teddy. She was a big help when I was trying to set up The Phoenix House.”

Smiling, Draco watched the pensive look on Harry’s face turn to a sad smile as he talked about how he ended up with custody of his godson. “That sounds like Mother. She was always good at organizing events and charities. It doesn’t surprise me that she was a great source of information for you. I’m really sorry to hear about my aunt, and especially since you were the one to find her. But it seems like there was a silver lining to that particular cloud. You got a beautiful little boy who obviously adores you out of it. I know that it must have been difficult but you seem really happy with your job and you have a really nice little family and business. Are you happy, Harry?”

Looking into those beautiful silver eyes that had haunted his dreams for years, Harry thought about what Draco was asking. He knew that he enjoyed his life and his relationships, but was he happy? “Yes, I am happy, but it always seems as though something is missing.”

“What’s missing?” Draco asked softly.

“A partner to share everything with. Someone that I could talk to when times are hard and share happy times. I feel guilty wanting more than what I already have. It seems greedy, but I see all of my friends in great relationships and I want the same thing.”

During this talk, they had moved into a bedroom with a small bathroom attached that Draco assumed would be where he was sleeping for the duration of his stay at The Phoenix House. There was a huge bed, a writing desk with a comfy looking chair and a small loveseat. This was where Draco was tugging Harry. “I know exactly what you mean. I want the same thing. I don’t think that you’re being greedy though. We all want someone to share our life with. I was thinking something almost identical earlier this evening. With all that you’ve done for other people in our world, if anyone deserves to be happy, it would be you.”

“Draco Malfoy, when did you get to be so smart?” Harry asked, chuckling. “Draco, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

With a sparkle in his eye and a smirk on his lovely face, Draco replied in as snarky a voice as he could manage, “Harry, I think so too, but I refuse to live in black and white. I will give up many things, but color is not one of them.”

Harry gave his blond companion a look of utter shock, “You know Casablanca? But, how? It’s a Muggle classic.”

“I have to let you in on a secret. One of my guilty pleasures was sharing a secret Saturday with my mother at a Muggle theater in London near Diagon Alley that showed old Muggle movies. Humphrey Bogart was always one of my favorites. Besides that, Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake remind me a bit of my mother. They were both classically beautiful with sharp, yet feminine features and they were so elegant. We used to pretend to be shopping when we really spent the day in the theater and having lunch at a cozy French restaurant. Unfortunately those outings stopped shortly after I began at Hogwarts. Father would tell Mother that she was coddling me and that I was going to be soft if she continued. What good would I be then to his freak of a Master?”

“I’m sorry that I brought up some bad memories, but it sounds like there were some lovely ones there too. We have a telly downstairs in the parlour that has a DVD player attached and there are tons of movies there as well. I’m sure there are some old classics that you would like. Anyway, I should let you get settled and to sleep. It’s really late. You’re sure you don’t need anything?”

Harry stood to leave and Draco grabbed his robes and removed his wand and travelling trunk from an inner pocket and resized it to double-check he did indeed have everything he needed. Flipping through the contents, he found his pajamas, toiletries case and robe. “Looks like I have everything I need. Thank you again for everything tonight. I plan to make sure that you know just how much I appreciate everything and that you can truly trust me now,” Draco said quietly before pulling Harry into one last loose hug before letting the other man leave.

“You’re welcome, Draco. I look forward to working with you and I look forward even more to getting to know you. We never really gave each other a chance when we were back at school. If you’d like, feel free to light a fire or set a candle or two if you need a bit of heat or light. As you can see, you have a small bathroom attached, and as I said before, I’m just across the hall if you need anything. Just knock.” And with this, Harry made his exit.  



	3. The Phoenix House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

The next morning came entirely too quickly for Harry, although it started off with a smile. He startled awake when he heard his door crack open, but then heard someone trying to stifle giggles and knew he was about to get his morning wake-up call. Pretending to still be asleep, Harry rolled over and his intruder stopped where they were, but then all of a sudden, Harry found himself with a giggling three-year old bouncing on top of him saying, “Uncle Harry, it’s time to get up. Come on!”

 Hiding the smile that threatened to show, Harry stretched and asked, “Oh come on, just five more minutes.”

The bouncing little boy was not to be put off. “No, Uncle Harry! You have to get up! Come on!”

“Oh okay,” he said with a resigned voice just before pouncing and tickling the hysterically giggling little boy. Teddy loved this game and so did Harry. Teddy finally let Harry know he was ready to stop and go eat. As they were both climbing out of Harry’s large bed, Teddy asked about Draco and if he would be joining them for breakfast. “I don’t think so. He and I were up pretty late talking last night and he was still a little upset about some of the things he found out about being a Veela so he’s probably going to sleep a little late today. You know what, I’ll bet he’d like a wake-up call like you give me one day this week. It always starts my day with a smile, what do you think?”

Giving his godfather another of his brilliant smiles, Teddy replied, “I think he would too! He liked my tricks and he said he would show me his dragons and I know that Aunt Cissy said he was nice and he seemed to like me…”

Harry touched his index finger to Teddy’s mouth to quiet him for a moment and said, “Slow down, buddy. I know he liked you because why wouldn’t he? You’re pretty terrific. He did like your tricks and I’m sure he will take you to Aunt Cissy’s house where he lives when he’s done here, so that you can see all of his dragons, but you’ll have to be careful. I’m sure that he’s got some that may be pretty easy to break. I believe that Aunt Cissy is coming to see you today, by the way. And yes she said that Draco is nice which I agree with. We didn’t get along at all in school, but he’s really nice to talk to now. So what would you like for breakfast? Looks like the house-elves have lots for us to pick from this morning. They must know we have a new guest.” With a sly wink, Harry added, “They like to show off and impress the new people, but we get to enjoy it too.”

Running over to his normal chair at the table, Teddy scrambles up to sit down while Harry grabs plates for both of them. Harry gets bacon, eggs, toast and fried tomatoes for himself and a smaller plate with eggs, a small sausage, toast and fruit for Teddy. Harry shook his head, for a small child, Teddy could almost eat as much as Ron if he was allowed. Just as he’d settled in, Harry noticed a small girl peeking around the corner to see who was in the kitchen. With a large smile on her face, she came running over and gave Teddy a quick kiss on the forehead and Harry a light squeeze before taking a little fruit and juice and sitting across from Harry at the large table.

“Good morning Miss Franny. How are you this fine morning?”

“I’m doing fine, how are you two today? Do we have someone new here? I saw the door across from you was closed Harry.”

“Yes, we have a new Veela with us, so be nice. He’s my age and just found out so he’s a little nervous. Would you like to help him get settled in today? You’re very good with that.”

Smiling brightly the young girl replied, “I’d love to. You said he’s your age? So he’s old to be finding out about this isn’t he? Don’t most people find out when they’re 17 or 18? Will he be staying here too?”

“Yes I will, I hope that you don’t mind,” Draco said as he walked into the kitchen. He yawned while moving towards the table then holding out his hand to the pretty girl sitting with Harry and Teddy. “How do you do, my name is Draco.”

Giving a shy smile, Franny took the offered hand and giggled when Draco kissed the back and let it go. “You’re funny.”

Draco gave his brightest smile and then agreed with her, “Yes, I am. But I still don’t know your name, pretty lady. I think I should know that if you’re going to be helping me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! My name is Francesca, but you can call me Franny. Everybody else does. And I’d love to help you. Just let me know if you ever need anything or have a question. Miss Fleur and Mr. Harry are wonderful too. I hope you like it here. It’s really helped me.”

“Why thank you. I would appreciate any assistance I can get. I’m a little new at this and it’s going to take a bit to get used to for me.” Turning his silver gaze to the other occupants of the table, Draco asked, “How are you gentlemen this morning and could I have some of that food that smells so tasty?”

“Of course you can, there is a warming charm on all the food so feel free to get whatever you’d like. There is also juice, milk, water, coffee and tea. How did you sleep last night, Draco? I’d almost expected you to have a nice lie in this morning. I was prevented from that particular horror by a little monkey jumping on me.” Teddy giggled and gave Draco a little wave while stuffing egg into his mouth.

Draco chuckled at the domestic picture that they all created and almost felt left out and wondering to himself if he would ever have children of his own. He knew that he would love that and he also knew that he would never be the same type of father he had in Lucius. He would be more like Harry and shower his children with love and affection and make sure they knew they were loved more than anything else. Shaking his head to clear the daydreams, Draco grabbed a plate of food and returned to the table where he enjoyed a lovely chat with everyone and found that Franny was staying in the house as were two other young Veela and the two others from the group were coming in several hours a day for different groups or meeting or to just spend time with the others. He found out that Franny was 10 and the other two girls in the house were Zoe who was 13 and Scarlett who was 8. The three girls got to see their families each weekend and more often if the parents wished, but due to the distance, most communication during the week was by owl or floo.

“Draco! Did you know that Auntie Cissy is supposed to come to see me today? I can’t wait to see her. It’s been forever since I’ve seen her. I wonder if she’s bringing me a present. I hope so, but its okay if she doesn’t too. Are you going to see her too? Does she know that you’re here? Is that why she’s coming?”

Trying to stem the never-ending flow of questions, Harry took Teddy’s hand to get his attention. “Take a breath, silly boy. Draco can’t answer any of your questions if you don’t let him speak.” Glancing apologetically at his guest, he asked, “I hope you don’t mind all the questions. I have to warn that it is a very common occurrence for this house though. I was wondering myself if Narcissa knew that you were coming here last night and if that’s why she planned to come see Teddy today.”

“Mother did know that I was coming to see you yesterday, but I wasn’t aware of her visit. I would like to see her when she arrives. I have a few questions for her myself,” he said with a smirk and a wink. “She failed to mention quite a few pertinent pieces of information in her recommendation of this place. I think that it will work out well though. Especially since I have such a wonderful helper to make sure I get acclimated to my new situation,” he said while flashing Franny a lovely smile again.

“I think she probably assumed that if you knew that I ran The Phoenix House you wouldn’t come and she also knew that this is the best place for you at the moment. Speaking of that, we should retire to the library and talk a little about your schedule. We have a group this afternoon that I’d like you to attend if you feel up to it. It would be you and Franny, Fleur and two of our other Veela. Kiera and Aiden are working until later so they couldn’t make it this time. You’ll get to meet them on Friday.”

“Now is as good a time as any. I’m anxious to get things started.”

“Alright, let’s go. Teddy, be good and listen to Franny until Lav shows up. She should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

“I will, Uncle Harry. Bye Draco! I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Teddy,” Draco said over his shoulder as he followed Harry out of the kitchen and back to the library where so many things had come to light last night. “How do you do it, Harry? I would be completely knackered after half an hour, much less all day. He’s a handful!”

“I know, yeah? I adore him, but I sleep very well at night. So what do you think? This was a pretty typical morning. Do you think you’ll be able to handle our little group of crazies?”

Draco smiled and looked at Harry and said, “I think I will love it. I’ve never been in a situation like this. The Manor was never so animated at a meal, so it’s different, but I enjoyed it. Franny is adorable, by the way. You say that she is one of the other Veela?”

“Yes, she has been here the longest. Her parents were killed in the war and she was sent to live with her Squib aunt who loves her dearly, but didn’t know how to help her with her magic or with any of the Veela traits that she will have to deal with. She had a few friends who pointed her to us and now we can count on Franny to help the newbies through their first few weeks or so. It’s great for her self-esteem and it’s great for the new clients to be able to see how well she’s adapting to everything here at the center. Now let’s talk about you for a while,” Harry said with a friendly smile. “Are you feeling better this morning? I know you were a little frazzled last night but you seemed to handle things much better than some of the clients we’ve had in the past.”

Sighing, Draco looked at his former rival and confessed, “I know that things will work out, but I’m still so worried about it. I’ve got so many questions about everything and when we were talking with Fleur last night, she answered a few of them but gave me a whole list of other concerns. At least I don’t feel like I’m going to fall apart like I did then. I really hope that I won’t be like that a lot of the time. I’m sure that you remember, but I like to be in control of most situations that I’m involved in. I’m looking forward to getting all the information I need and then starting to work on the issues that are related.”

Harry started laughing and then had to explain when Draco gave him an insulted look, “No, I’m sorry. It wasn’t you. That just sounded so much like Hermione and all of her damned revision sessions. She’s still doing that and I get to hear her complaining occasionally when she comes to help me go over any of the contracts that need renewing or any legal issues that come up.”

Chuckling, Draco nods and says, “I can imagine. I remember how she used to chase you and Weasley around with schedules and things all the time near testing time every year. With her to get you two organized, I’m surprised that you didn’t do better than you did. She seemed to be quite capable of kicking my arse in all our subjects. I was always so jealous of her and how she could continuously get the best marks even in subjects that I thought she should have a huge disadvantage in with coming from Muggle parents. You know things like that were what made me start questioning everything we were doing. Then I found out that the fucker that was preaching blood purity was a god-damned half-blood himself.” A sarcastic bark of laughter preceded, “Gods I was an idiot for believing all that shite I was fed from my father.”

“Draco,” Harry started softly, “You were a typical child. We all believed what we were told by the adults in our life. That’s what children do. Don’t blame yourself, because you’re a much better man now. Just think of all that you’ve learned from your mistakes. You should be proud of yourself for being able to get yourself away before you did something that you couldn’t have lived with yourself for. I’m sure there were too many kids who were in that situation because of that war. Now let’s get away from that crap and start talking about what we have planned for you today. There was a note from Fleur on my desk when we came in that says our mediwitch will be here at eleven and we want you to see her about your wings. That gives us about an hour to get the intake information and basic medical history down if that’s alright with you?”

“Sure, just let me know what you need. You already know a lot of what’s on the forms anyway, but ask away.”

The next forty-five minutes were spent getting background information which Harry did in fact know most of, getting medical data and discussing the schedule for groups that were set up for the Veelas as well as a schedule of office hours that both Fleur and Harry had for walk-in appointments. Harry tried to answer most of Draco’s questions about how things worked at The Phoenix House. They managed to make their way into gossip about former classmates while waiting for the mediwitch to make her appearance.

“So you mentioned Granger was studying magical law? Are she and Weasley married with a houseful of children yet?”

Harry threw back his head and laughed loudly until he noticed the incredulous look on Draco’s face. “I thought you would have already known about this from Pansy. Hermione and Ron had a huge blow-out just after we returned to Hogwarts. Ron was being his usual clueless self and said something ridiculous that I can’t even recall but it was the last straw for Hermione. She sent him packing and was dating Neville within a week. They were married a few months ago, June actually. Ron, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He went through several serious and not so serious girlfriends and he’s been dating Pansy for about six months. That’s why I thought you would have known about him and ‘Mione, but I’m going to take that shocked look to mean that she hasn’t mentioned a thing about him?”

“Damn. I really have been out of the loop, haven’t I? She did mention that she’s been dating someone, but she didn’t mention a name. I got the impression that she was either embarrassed or thought that I wouldn’t approve of her choice in suitors by her failure to name the gentleman she has been seeing. I can see why now. I really can’t see how those two could get along, but she does seem very happy. He must not be all bad.”

“He’s finally started to grow the fuck up and is being a good boyfriend to her from what I’ve seen so far. I’ve gotten to spend some time with her and I can see why you would have enjoyed having her as a close friend. She is wicked funny and would probably be the perfect bestie for a lovely young gay man such as you with her propensity for shopping and gossiping. Believe it or not, I’ve actually gone out with her for lunch a time or two. You’re not the only apologetic Slytherin, by the way. She made sure that I knew early on just how badly she felt for what she did during the war and she’s really changed a lot. Have you talked to her much since your release?” When he saw Draco’s negative shake, he continued, “She is working with several charities and has even started a charity to assist with Wizard Studies classes for Muggle born students and Muggle Studies classes for wizard born students, but classes that will actually give accurate information and not just bits of history, gossip and trivia. That’s actually how I met up with her again. She was working with a charity that we were in a partnership with at the time and she was the chair of the committee. I was the one who set her and Ron up actually.”

Draco looked shocked. How had his best and only friend kept all of this from him? He had seen her twice since his release and she’d not mentioned anything about what she was doing or who she was doing it with. He supposed she may have been trying to ease him into things, but she of all people should have seen the changes in him. “Wow that was completely unexpected. I can’t believe that she didn’t tell me any of this. I can’t believe Mother didn’t tell me any of it either.” Draco looked at Harry with hurt in his eyes and asked, “Did they really think that I would react so badly that they had to keep so many things from me? Did they not trust me to handle the truth?

Harry could sense that Draco was starting to feel a bit fragile again so he got up and walked over to Draco and knelt at his side while taking his hands into his own and said with quiet confidence, “They probably thought that you had enough to deal with already and that you could worry about the other things later. They both know how difficult this is for you since they have both worked with me here to some extent and they wouldn’t want to hurt you if they didn’t have to. You can ask your mother about it this afternoon when she gets here if you’d like. It would probably be good for you to have a good talk with her so that you can get things out in the open between you and you can also let her know that you are strong enough to handle things and she doesn’t need to hold things back when speaking with you. I’m sure the same goes for Pansy. I know from a few conversations with her that she truly cares for you and practically considers you family. Just talk to her, okay?”

Feeling better after talking with Harry and having more of the skin to skin contact helped him even more. He leaned over and gave the other man a quick hug before saying, “Thank you again. I was overreacting and you got me to realize this and calm down. Am I always going to have to have you around to do that or will I eventually be able to have Harry-free time?” Draco gave his companion a silly grin and then stood and offered Harry a hand up.

“Of course you will. You will be fine. Things will settle down and you will get used to all the changes. You won’t feel so overwhelmed and then you will be perfectly capable of having a Harry-free day,” winking at Draco, Harry added, “Unless you’d prefer to keep me around for the obvious eye-candy.”

Both laughing loudly, they started for the door when a new face popped around the corner. Draco assumed this was the mediwitch that they had mentioned who was going to examine his wings. She looked vaguely familiar, but Draco had been having that happen a lot since his release. He thought she may have been at Hogwarts while he and Harry were there and this was confirmed when he was introduced to her.

“Felicity Eastchurch, meet Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Felicity and she is our resident mediwitch. Well, not exactly resident since she doesn’t live here, but she’s here most days and takes care of just about everything we need in the medical field. Felicity, Draco has just found out that he’s got Veela blood and that there was apparently a stasis spell placed on him that was due to be renewed this past April but wasn’t so now he’s starting to manifest Veela wings. They haven’t broken through yet, but you can see them pressing against the skin on his back and he’s having some pain.” Smiling at Draco, he asked quickly, “Did I leave anything out? I was trying to rush just a bit since the group we wanted you to be in is in a half-hour and your mother should be here when the group finishes around one.”

“Damn Harry, give the poor man a break. Is he this tightly scheduled every day?” Felicity chuckled while giving Harry a light smack on the arm.

“Thanks for the assistance, but I think that’s just for today. I just got here last night so I’m still getting settled.”

“Yeah Felicity, he’s just getting started and I wanted to make sure he got to his first group before his mum came to see Teddy. I’ve got his medical information from the intake if you need it.”

“Sure, get it to me when you can. I’ll just steal your new guest from you for about twenty minutes and then he’s all yours. Ready Draco?”

Looking nervously between Harry and the mediwitch, Draco started to reply when Harry saved him from his worry. “Felicity, would you mind if I joined you? Draco is still getting used to the idea of being part Veela and I’d like to be there in case he has any problems. He’s used to Fleur and me comforting him and I don’t want to start off badly. Is that alright?”

Smiling brightly at the two men, she responded that it was fine and for them to follow her to her office. When they arrived, she asked for Harry to take a seat while she checked out Draco’s new wings and do a few regular tests. She took a little blood, weight and height then asked for Draco to remove his shirt so that she could look at his wings. She also asked Harry to come over in case Draco had any type of negative reaction with her touching his wings. He moved closer and patted Draco encouragingly on the shoulder.

Felicity moved around Draco’s back and looked at how the bones were pressing against the skin and then warned Draco that she would be touching his back to make sure they were coming in correctly and to see where the pain was coming from. As soon as she started pressing against the bones of his wings, Draco reached quickly for Harry’s hand and held on tight.

“Draco, I’m going to press several places along the wings and please let me know if you’re feeling any pain there. It doesn’t look like there is any infection so that’s good, but I want to see where you’re experiencing the pain and if the wings may just be lying badly before they come through. I can see that it looks like they should be breaking through the skin soon though so we’re going to have to keep a close eye on them.”

Draco became a little nervous hearing that and feeling the mediwitch’s hands on his back around his wings made him even more worried. Harry noticed Draco’s impending panic and moved closer and took his other hand. “Hang in there. Felicity is great and I’m sure she will be done as quickly as possible.”

Felicity moved her hands around the thinning lines of skin that would soon open so that wings could emerge from Draco’s back. The skin was very red and the bones of the wings were pressed tightly against the skin, but it was normally colored otherwise and didn’t show any sign of infection. She ran her hands firmly over the left shoulder blade and got no response that there was pain, but when she moved over to the wing itself and used the firmer press of fingers, she did get a response. Draco gave a small whimper and so did Harry. Apparently, Draco was squeezing Harry’s hands pretty tightly. Smiling and giving Draco a soothing smile, she said, “Alright sweetheart, I need you to not break my boss and also for you to tell me exactly what is hurting. Does it feel like bones are pressing against each other or is it just where the skin is thinning out for your wings to come out? Can you tell?”

Taking several deep breaths, Draco loosened his grip on Harry’s poor hands while giving him an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry Harry! I didn’t mean to hurt you. And Felicity, I’m not sure how to describe the pain. I can definitely feel where the skin wants to split, but there’s some other pressure there too that almost seems to hurt from the inside. I know that sounds really weird, but I just can’t describe it. There was a really strange feeling when you were touching my wings also. It wasn’t really pain, but just as if something wasn’t right.”

“That’s okay, we’ll get you all figured out. Now you say that it feels like pain from inside. Do you feel it in both wings or just the one?”

“I honestly can’t remember,” Draco replied glumly.

“Don’t worry dear, we will make sure everything is fine and you’re not in pain before you leave. Now Harry, I’d like you to come over and maybe put your arms around Draco so that he’s getting the contact that he needs, but you’re not getting your hands broken. Is that okay with both of you?” Both men nodded and Harry moved a little closer and casually wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist so that Felicity had enough room to work, but also so that Draco didn’t feel deserted while a stranger was fussing about with his wings. “I’m going to try to see if both wings are bothering you or if it is just the left one so I’m going to do the same thing with the right side that I just did with the left, okay Draco? Oh and you will feel that not right feeling again since someone other than your mate is touching your wings, but we don’t really have a choice, that’s another reason I asked Harry to hold on to you. Ready? ”

Taking a deep breath and squeezing Harry a little tighter, he replied, “Yes, that’s fine. As long as we can figure out what’s wrong and hopefully get it fixed, I don’t really care what you do short of maiming me.”

“Not a chance, my dear. Now let’s get this over with so we can get the problem figured and solved.” With that, she started the same process she had before but on the right side. Once again, there wasn’t a problem when she moved over Draco’s shoulder, but when she pressed down over the wing itself it became uncomfortable for Draco. Felicity tried a couple of other things and came up with the reason Draco was in pain. “Well, it looks like the wings are very close to coming in and that when they shifted to get closer to the surface they moved a little too far. They are just a little out of place from where they should be so we should be able to move them back, but it will cause you some discomfort. The other option is that we could just give the wing slits on your back a little help in opening up and have the wings come out a day or so early. Draco, this is up to you so give it a little thought and let me know what you would like for me to do. Just so that you know, your wings look like they will be coming through in a few days as it is so we can also just leave them as they are. All three of the options will have some pain involved and the healing time for the two where the wings come out will be about 2-3 days. Trying to move them back into a more comfortable position will probably cause some bruising and pain as well while we’re repositioning the wing bones pain and may cause the skin to tear since they are a little closer to the surface than they really should be. If that happens then it could be a little more painful since that would be more like a cut. This will heal much faster, but still there will be pain involved. As for everything else, you appear to be in very good health. Now I’ll be here until half past three so let me know what we are going to do before then. We may even be able to get it done today if you’d like. Any other questions for me?”

Draco gave the smiling mediwitch a relieved look and said, “No, I thank you for all of your information and I will think about my three options and get back to you shortly, definitely before you leave since I would appreciate getting it done today if possible.” Draco gave Harry a wink and a smirk before telling him, “Thank you for your help, but I don’t think my shirt will fit over us both.”

Harry moved away quickly and Draco noticed that he looked lovely with the tinge of blush moving into his cheeks. “Sorry about that, I was starting to think of myself as your teddy for a moment. It’s another one of those roles I’m told I’m pretty good at by a certain color-changing monkey. Anyway, let’s get moving. I don’t want you to be late for your group and they start in just about five minutes.”

Draco finished putting his shirt back on and gave Harry a nervous look, “Will they be expecting me to do much today? I don’t know how comfortable I feel with much more than general chatter yet. Will Fleur mind?”

Placing a calming hand on Draco’s shoulder and pulling him a bit to get into step with himself, Harry grinned and gave him the answer that Draco was hoping for, “No, you won’t have to do anything until you feel comfortable sharing with the group and even then, it’s only as much or little as you want to share. This is to help you, not cause you to worry any more about your situation."

"Thanks Harry. Will you be staying?" Draco asked hopefully.

"I don't usually stay, but I can if it would make you more comfortable. Otherwise I will just meet you in my office afterward to go and see your mother. She will probably already be here since the woman seems to be perpetually ten minutes early for everything, as I'm sure that you already know." Smiling, Harry gave Draco a quick wink and tried to see if he could tell how his newest charge was handling everything today. The Malfoy mask was clearly in place for the moment though so he wasn't able to tell a thing.

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it if you stayed. I know that you probably have things to do, but I'm still feeling really out of sorts and it’s helped so much to have you around as a familiar face. I'm sure you're shocked to hear that coming from me," Draco said with a wink and a smirk.

Harry stood there shocked at the obvious flirting from the last person he would have expected that type of behavior from. He knew that Draco was very flirtatious. He enjoyed his reputation at Hogwarts as the Slytherin Prince and also as a little Casanova, or so it seemed. Was Draco Malfoy really flirting with Harry Potter or was this just a way for Draco to drive Harry crazy just a bit quicker than normally expected?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Draco's now serious expression while he tried to figure out just what Harry was thinking. Had he taken his flirting too far? Was Harry rethinking how comfortable he was being with Draco or was he just trying to figure out what to do next? Harry wasn't known for his quick thinking but he was known for his bravery. He only hoped that would translate to being brave enough to take a chance on Draco. He could use all the help and all the friends he could get at this point and he was really enjoying Harry's company. He was also enjoying watching those lovely emerald eyes sparkling with mirth when he was playing with Teddy, the inky black hair bouncing as he walked and his own thoughts of how badly he wanted to run his fingers through that hair to see if it really was as soft as it looked. Well, that was new; at least that's what he tried to tell himself. What was he thinking? He couldn't possibly be daydreaming about his old school nemesis this way, could he? "Have I really rendered the "Savior of the Wizarding World" speechless?" Draco asked with a playful tone and smile.

Harry snapped out of his daze and gave Draco a glare but the smile gracing his face ruined the effect. "No, I was just a bit shocked to find Draco Malfoy in my presence, flirting and not hexing me to be such a change that it took a little getting used to. So sorry if I offended your tender sensibilities." With that said, Harry quickly stuck out his tongue and turned his back on Draco and walked into the meeting room which held the group they were about to attend. Draco couldn't help snickering at Harry's childish behavior and then made his way quickly after Harry. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day, would we?

**~H/D~**

Draco’s first group went wonderfully. They had been welcomed in by Fleur and Franny and then introductions were made and the others tried to help ease Draco into things by sharing some of their first experiences of being a Veela with him. He seemed to be fascinated, as well as relieved that he wasn’t the only one who had these types of things happening to him. He didn’t talk overly much, but he did ask many intelligent questions about how they dealt with certain things. He even teased that he had to have Harry attached to him at the moment so that he didn’t burst into tears or become a raving lunatic just because of all the overwhelming emotions he was constantly being bombarded with. All the other Veela just smiled while nodding their understanding and let him know that he was definitely not alone in that as they had all gone through this to some extent. Fleur asked them to stay for a few minutes after the group was over so that she could ask a bit about Draco’s visit with Felicity and what was found out about Draco’s wings. They explained and Fleur offered her opinions on what the best course of action might be for him before the two young men moved onto the parlour where Narcissa was sitting with Teddy and playing with a stack of new and old toys that the boy had dragged out of his room.

Draco was shocked to see his elegant mother sitting in the floor playing with the small child and it brought back memories of a happier time and he ended up running to his mother and hugging her fiercely to him. The emotions seemed to be getting to him again and his tears flowed freely yet again. He was mortified that he was crying like a child in front of his mother who he had always tried so hard to be strong for. Narcissa seemed to understand his need and pulled him down to sit on her lap while she cuddled him and said quietly, “Oh my Dragon, you have always pretended to be so strong. I’m glad that you have dropped that mask for now. Let me be strong for you for once.”

Draco looked back up at his mother as if startled by her words. He thought that she would have been embarrassed by his outburst, but she seemed to be almost happy that he was showing his weakness. That was definitely not the Malfoy way and he was quite confused. “Mother?”

Smiling gently down at her son, Narcissa tried to explain what she meant. “Darling, you have had so many things thrust upon you from such an early age that you were forced to grow up far too quickly and assume the role of the man of the household before it should have ever been your task to do so. It hurt me to see you put in such situations and I longed for my little Dragon back again so that you could be a child for once. Your father, as much as I once loved him, pulled you away from me and I was forced to let him guide you in what he considered to be the ways of the Malfoy men. This was a mistake that I wish everyday I had not made. It led to your involvement with the Dark Lord and I could see that it was breaking you each day but I was helpless to do anything for you. When I started to see your indecision and how you were starting to question what you were being asked to do, I tried to become more vocal in my disapproval but it did no good. Your father said that if I continued on with my foolishness that he would make sure that I was not around to see you anymore. I’m not sure if he meant to threaten my life or that he would have me removed from the Manor, but I knew that neither was an option I could live with so I did what I could without being outwardly treasonous, as your father called me. I only hope that you can forgive me for so many years of inaction, but I truly thought that you were happy following in your father’s footsteps, even if I was not happy with that as an option.”

Looking even more shocked with each word from his mother’s mouth, Draco was humbled by the love and regret that he saw and heard in his beautiful mother. She had always seemed like a fairy tale princess to him as a boy, always so lovely and elegant even when she was playing or comforting him, but now he could see that she was just a woman who had hurt over the decisions that were forced on her and her son. He could tell that she almost expected him to hate her when he heard that she had done nothing, but he now knew from experience that sometimes doing nothing was harder than doing something you know that you will regret in the future. Hugging her even closer to him, Draco whispered into her ear, “Mother, you have nothing to be forgiven for. I love you and know that you have always done everything that you could for me and I can see how much this is hurting you. Please don’t worry about the past. It’s over and done with and we have all learned our lessons. It is time to move on and live our lives now. We don’t have to worry about Father or any Dark Lords.” Adding with a mischievous smirk, “Not to mention, we now have the Savior on our side. I think that he would probably kick our arses if we decided to do anything that stupid again.”

Taking that as his cue, Harry spoke up saying, “That’s right Narcissa. If Draco decides to become the next Dark Lord, I’ll just remind him of this and how he was curled up in my lap last night and had to explain to Teddy why he was there.”

Narcissa looked up at Harry and laughed, “I can only imagine how that conversation went. What did our young man say to my silly Dragon?”

With a haughty glare aimed at Harry then his mother, Draco explained his conversation with the little boy, “Well, he first tried to cheer me up by showing me a few tricks. He morphed into several dragons from his pajamas and then Harry. It was brilliant, by the way,” he said while winking at the smiling child who was now changing his hair to match Draco and Narcissa. “He then asked if I’d had a nightmare and said that Harry was good at helping make him feel better by cuddling him in his lap. When I told him that I was upset about learning I was a Veela, he got a look that should not have been on the face of a three-year-old but someone much older and said that Harry and Fleur were very good at helping with that kind of thing.” Narcissa and Harry shared a sad smile and nodded, knowing exactly the look Draco was talking about. “He also offered to share Harry with me as long as he could have him if needed. “ Giving a smile to Teddy who had been sitting quietly with his toys while the grown-ups talked, Draco spoke in a stage whisper to his mother saying, “I accepted the offer.  It sounded good to me. Do you think I should have held out for sole custody?”

Laughing over the light-hearted way her son was interacting with her nephew, she told them all that she thought it was a good deal, but now that they were all done feeling sad and then silly, it seemed time for lunch. Harry agreed and called for one of the elves to bring a tray for the four of them so that they could get caught up over their meal. The elves were apparently still showing off for their newest guest so lunch today consisted of lovely fish and chips which were Teddy’s favorite and thick bread and butter on the side. Teddy got to have his one soda of the day at lunch so he was bouncing all over the room while the adults laughed at his antics as they talked and Narcissa sat with her knitting as she often did when visiting. She didn’t even seem to pay attention to what she was doing, yet her fingers flew and the clacking of the needles became a soothing background along with the sweet giggles and jabbering of little boy.

Narcissa looked over at the two handsome young men she was enjoying the afternoon with and then asked her son, “Draco, it appears that you were able to apologize as you wished to our Harry. I hope that you weren’t too upset with me yesterday when you realized it was Harry who runs The Phoenix House. I knew that he could do wonders to help you and I was worried that if I told you, that you wouldn’t come.”

Smiling broadly at his mother, Draco said, “Mother, I couldn’t be upset with you. And you were right, if I’d known that I would be spending time with Harry Potter then I probably wouldn’t have come.” Seeing the hurt in Harry’s eyes, he rushed to explain, “Harry, please don’t think it’s anything against you. I think I mentioned last night that I felt badly about how I’d treated you in school. Well, I was very embarrassed and even though I knew that I wanted to apologize, I was worried that you wouldn’t want to hear that from me now. Possibly that it would seem like too little too late. I’m very glad that I did come here though, because I think that it will be very good for me. Everyone I’ve met here so far has been wonderful to me and I’m looking forward to getting over all the learning parts of the experience so that I can move on to living my life. I realized that I’ve missed out on many things because of my poor judgment and I intend to make up for lost time. Plus, I think we were supposed to be friends and I intend to make up for what a prat I was at Hogwarts and show you that I can be a good friend to you. I already know that you’re a good friend to me after what you’ve put up with since I arrived.”

“Draco, I’m so proud of you. You have had a hard path to follow so far, but it has led you to becoming a son that I consider a joy to be around. I know that things have been difficult while you are making adjustments to the new Veela traits that are manifesting, but I know that you will handle it with the grace that you handle everything else with. Just don’t forget that you do not have to handle this alone. Your shoulders are broad, but even they cannot handle the weight of the world.” Glancing at their host, Narcissa added, “I think that Harry is quite the perfect man to help you deal with that particular issue. He has had to worry about that himself over the years. I think that you two will be able to help each other greatly. I only wish that this friendship could have been possible years ago. It would have made a huge difference for you both, but at least you have each other now.”

Standing and moving to kiss Narcissa on the cheek, Harry thanked her and excused himself and Teddy so that mother and son could have a little time alone. As soon as the two left, Narcissa moved to the couch to take Harry’s place beside her son. Pulling him into another hug, she whispered quietly, “Now tell me how you are doing, Dragon. I can see in your eyes that you are worried about things. What can I do to help make this easier for you?”

Taking comfort in the warmth of his mother’s arms and the familiar scent of her perfume made Draco very happy. He had been so worried that he may never have this again, but he did. He also had new friends and even new-found family in little Teddy. Looking up at his mother, he started telling her about everything that had happened since his arrival at The Phoenix House the night before. He told her about his apology to Harry, his explanations of what was going on and all the information he had received from everyone so far including the mediwitch. He asked his mother her opinion on his available options and she said what he had been thinking himself. He wanted to have the wings extracted early so that he could have things heal up and move onto the next issue that may pop up for him.

Narcissa listened to everything that Draco told her and her admiration for her son’s resilience grew with each new thing he told her. Her little Dragon had grown into a very intelligent young man and she was looking forward to seeing what he would do with himself now that he was out of Azkaban. As horrible as the experience was for him, Narcissa saw that it was also a gift. He needed the self-reflection that he was forced to indulge in when there was nothing else to do. He now understood how very wrong he had been in the past and was already going about making up for what he had done and was making sure to apologize for the wrongs he had done to others. She was surprised that he was so easily accepting Harry’s forgiveness, but she was very happy. Harry Potter was a very different man than she had expected. He was caring, loving and so very humble. He didn’t want recognition of his accomplishments, only assistance to move forward and make the world a better place. He had already done a great deal in that respect with opening the center. He was a beautiful person, inside and out. She also knew something that her son would probably be very interested in. Harry cared a great deal for Draco. Narcissa had figured this out some time ago from Harry’s genuine regret at seeing Draco end up in prison and his constant inquires about his well-being. She had come to care a great deal for Harry over the last three years and she also knew that Draco cared for him as well. Being the Slytherin mother that she was Narcissa was working through things that she could do to encourage the two lonely boys she cared so much for to find their way to each other.

Narcissa decided that she would walk with Draco to Harry’s office so that they could go to see the mediwitch and have his wings dealt with and she would spend a little more time with Teddy. She wanted to be there in case Draco needed her and the added push of having Harry watch over Draco while going through this painful procedure would be just a bit more incentive for her as well. “Now remember dear, I will be with Teddy in the parlour just like before if you need me. I want to make sure that you are alright before I leave. Make sure to have Harry stay with you during the procedure and if you need me, he will be able to have someone come get me.”

Giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, Draco responded with a glimmer of mischief, “Of course, Mother. I will have Harry with me and we will be sure to have you whisked to me the second I need you.”

Narcissa gave a surprised laugh at her son’s cheek and smiled down at him, “I like this playful side of you. I have not seen it in more years that I care to think of but it suits you. Share this with Harry. He needs a little fun in his life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can only say that Harry has been hurt in the past in many ways, least of which was having a madman want him dead since his birth. Even though he loves what he does here, Harry is very lonely and needs more friends to encourage fun. Like you, he was forced to grow up too fast and it shows. The poor boy is like an old man. He never goes out, his life revolves around The Phoenix House or Teddy and he rarely does anything for himself. I think this new side of you would be a wonderful thing for him. I know what a loyal friend you are, my Dragon and I think that is exactly what Harry needs; a new friend he can have fun with and who shares many things in common. I also think that Harry could use a bit of the selfishness that you have. He has seen the bad side of that in the past, but you can show him that a little selfishness can result in lovely things like taking time for yourself and enjoying life rather than just living it.”

Looking at his mother with wide eyes, Draco slowly asked, “Mother, are you trying to set me up with Harry?”

Smiling indulgently, “You could do worse, darling. The hero of the entire wizarding world is a true catch, but the loving man that I know as Harry Potter is even more of one. That boy has the biggest heart and wants to share it with someone. I know that you have an interest in him and I think that you would be a wonderful match. I’m only trying to see me two favorite young men happy. Indulge an old woman in her whims.”

“Mother, you are anything but old and I have a feeling that this is more than a whim and that it is something that you have been thinking about for quite some time now. I will say that I do have feelings for Harry and have for a long time. I honestly didn’t realize it myself until I had nothing but time to reflect on things for three years, but I now see that my obsession at Hogwarts wasn’t all about rivalry. But am I really what he needs? I couldn’t give him a family and he desires that more than anything. Everyone knows that. Plus I’ve got so many things going on that I can’t imagine that he would want to take on a relationship where he would seem more like a care-taker than a boyfriend. It’s just not fair to him.”

“Draco, you listen to me and listen well. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did everything that you did for the sake of your family and your own life. The things that you are going through now are things that should have been dealt with years ago, but your father was a bigoted idiot who thought ignoring this would be better than explaining what would be happening to you. Yes, you will be a bit needy and require assistance while healing as well as dealing with your new circumstances, but you are by no means an invalid and Harry is an intelligent and loving young man who will be more than happy to help care for a friend in need. If you decide that you would like to pursue a relationship, I think that you would both be lucky to have each other and that you would be wonderful for each other, as I believe I said earlier in regards to this budding friendship. I will not have you talking badly of yourself nor will I accept this defeatist attitude from you. You will work through this situation and at the very least you will come out with several new friends. If you decide to follow my advice and pursue Harry, you may get more than you ever expected. Now if you are through feeling sorry for yourself, let us get this procedure taken care of so that you can move on to more important matters.”

Draco didn’t think he could take any more shocking surprises from his mother in one day, but he knew better than to not pay heed to what she said. She was right and he wanted to have Harry’s friendship and whatever else came from this situation would be a bonus. “You are quite right, Mother. I thank you for setting me straight and for helping me see the situation through different eyes. Let us go and collect Harry and Teddy,” he said smiling. His mother did have a way of putting things into perspective and he knew that he would be thinking about everything that she had said for quite a while, but he realized yet another thing that he had forgotten. His mother was always right.  



	4. The Phoenix House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Draco and Narcissa met up with Harry and Teddy in Harry’s office. They chatted for a few minutes before splitting up and Harry took Draco to see Felicity again while Narcissa watched Teddy and played until Draco’s procedure was completed. Felicity explained a bit more about the process of opening the slits for Draco’s wings to come out and also what type of things to expect from his new wings. Draco would more than likely be confined to his bed for at least 2-3 days to make sure that things healed properly and that his wings could begin to fully develop. One thing that both he and Harry found fascinating was that the wings would not retract until fully healed so Draco would be walking around with wings out for a few days. This would create some interesting issues in regards to his wardrobe. None of his current clothing would compensate for large wings. He would need to talk with Fleur about what to do while waiting for his wings to become retractable.

Once the mediwitch was assured that he still wanted to follow this course of action, she had Draco move to lie face down on an exam bed while she went about gathering the instruments and potions that she would need as well as her wand. The procedure would require both physical and magical means and would take approximately twenty minutes then she would need to get Draco into his bed and arrange for everything that would be needed for his immediate care. She could tell that her patient was nervous, so she made sure that Harry was keeping as much skin to skin contact as was appropriate so that Draco would be as comfortable as possible while she extracted his wings.

Harry spent the entire time doing exactly what Felicity had told him. He made sure that he always had at least one hand holding Draco’s and his other hand was either rubbing soothing circles on his neck or carding through Draco’s baby-soft hair. This was something that Narcissa mentioned earlier that she did to calm him when he was a child and it seemed to still be just as effective today. Draco did wonderfully. The wings did exactly what they were supposed to do and a speedy recovery was predicted. Once they were finished, Harry sent word to Narcissa that they would be moving Draco to his room and that she and Teddy could meet them there. Harry and Felicity helped Draco move carefully to his room and got him settled just before the door opened to Draco’s first two visitors.

Teddy stopped just inside the door and gasped loudly as soon as he saw the wings now coming from Draco’s back. They weren’t what he had expected but they were still impressive. They were large and covered with a fluffy white down that almost looked unfinished, but Teddy wanted to touch them. Narcissa, Harry and Draco all looked at the boy and thought that he was frightened at first from the stunned expression on his little face, but that was quickly corrected when he started running for Harry who was standing beside the bed and asked to be lifted up so that he could see them better. All the adults laughed at his reaction and he was warned by all that Draco’s wings were very delicate at the moment and might be a little sore, but he was given permission by the exhausted Veela to carefully touch the wings. Nodding solemnly, Teddy thanked Draco and carefully touched the lovely wings before him. Draco didn’t seem to be bothered by his touch, so he began to almost pet them as he would a small animal.

Draco seemed to enjoy the attention being paid him by the sweet child and he started to smile at the little boy’s comments. Harry was sitting beside him on the bed and his mother had moved to a chair close to them all. He was startled out of his hazy thoughts when Harry asked him how he was feeling. He tried to think about that and realized that he was doing surprisingly well. “I think I’m doing fine. My back doesn’t hurt nearly as much as I had expected it to, although that is probably due to the very strong pain potion that was forced down my throat just before the procedure was started. The wings themselves are not too bad either. They really just feel odd, not sore except where they are coming out of the slits. But Felicity said that was normal as the joints are getting used to being active now instead of stuck in the same spot for so long. I’m actually enjoying the petting too. Do you think I’m turning into a kneazle?”

Harry and Narcissa laughed at Draco’s drowsy ramblings, but it was good that he wasn’t in pain. Harry had one of the elves bring back a light supper for them so that Draco could get a little food into his stomach before passing out for the evening. They were able to get him to eat most of the bowl of beef broth and half of a ham and cheese sandwich. By this time, it had somehow gotten to be 7:30 and it was time for Harry to give Teddy his bath and get him to bed. Narcissa offered to take care of it while he stayed with Draco and Harry accepted. He was knackered and thought sitting and talking with Draco would be much easier than wrestling with a three year-old who would like nothing better than to run around wet and naked for the rest of the evening. After warning Teddy several times of the horrible things that would happen if he gave Narcissa any trouble, Harry finally sat back down beside his newest charge and noticed that he was getting a smirk.

“Okay, spill it. What did I do that’s causing that look?”

Draco chuckled and told Harry, “You are wonderful with him and I think it is hysterical that you are telling him all the repercussions for bad behavior to my mother when she is the best at making a child think they want to be good even when they want to be bad.” He laughed again at the confused look he was getting from his companion. “Let me give you an example. I was six and my parents were having a Solstice picnic as they did every summer and I knew that Pansy and Blaise would be coming soon and Vince and Greg would be there too. I wanted so badly to go running outside so that I could meet them, but of course I had to be the proper young wizard and running was not allowed with guests present. Mother told me that Pansy and Blaise would be very embarrassed if I were to go running around like a little heathen when they were being so well behaved and of course I was so upset that I walked everywhere that day and never got a spot of dirt on my robes because I didn’t want to offend my friends. They, on the other hand, ended up playing tag in the sitting room and getting dirt all over themselves when playing hide and seek in the gardens. Do you see my point yet?”

Harry was laughing heartily over the thought of prim and proper little Draco looking at his friends like he usually looked at Harry first year. “Well in that case, maybe I should send Teddy over to the Manor for a few days and see what happens after he gets home. Although, I think he would probably end up needing a new room just for all of his new clothes and toys. Your mother and Pansy, hell all of my friends, take great pleasure in spoiling my godson rotten then sending him home to me. That might backfire if I decided to actually send him with your mum.”

“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Narcissa said with a mock glare that still had both men sobering quickly. “I never spoil children. I merely make sure that they are treated with the love and attention they deserve. I still wish that I could have been around for you Harry. You always looked like such a little ragamuffin in those old, baggy clothes. I would also like to have been allowed to hex those horrible Muggles that you lived with. They deserved to be cruciated for how they treated you.”

Harry stood up and went to give Narcissa a huge hug for her sentiments. He still couldn’t get used to having her as another adoptive mother, but he loved it. She was completely different than Molly Weasley in her methods, but she was just as fiercely protective and nurturing. She wasn’t exaggerating either. He found out that she had overheard a few comments from Ron when they were mentioning the Durlseys and she had asked Pansy about it later. She had gotten so angry that she really did go and give Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon a piece of her mind. He would never get her to tell him what she said, but he knew that he received a card from them apologizing for terrorizing him as a child and he even met with Aunt Petunia for tea a few weeks later where she apologized again and brought him a gift that meant more to him than any apology ever could. She brought Harry a photo album of pictures of his mother. Some had her and her sister and there was even one with his father. They were all so young and happy looking. He noticed that Aunt Petunia seemed sad looking at the pictures and she explained that Lily was her best friend growing up and that she was extremely hurt when she went away to Hogwarts. She felt abandoned and even when she came home for holidays, Petunia was always inundated with tales of all the fabulous things she was learning and all of her many friends that she was making. Harry had asked her if that was why she had treated him like she had and his suspicion was confirmed. She wanted Harry to feel as excluded as she had, even though her sister had never done that to her intentionally.

“Thank you, Narcissa. You have done more than enough with making up for my horrible childhood. You have spoiled me and Teddy as well as making sure we know that we are loved. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“Harry darling, you are far too forgiving and selfless. I will never understand why you act as if you need to thank someone for giving you affection when you give it so freely to anyone who will accept it, and some who won’t,” she said pointedly casting a long glance at her son. “You are like another son to me and you have helped me get through too many sad days to have to apologize for any spoiling I may or may not do.” Giving him a motherly kiss on the forehead, she moved over and did the same for Draco. “Are you still feeling alright, my Dragon?”

Draco was still reeling with the information he’d just gotten about Harry’s past. He didn’t understand everything that was vaguely mentioned, but he would be asking his mother and Harry about them later. Looking back up at his mother, he replied, “I’m starting to feel a little pain, but still nothing as bad as I was expecting. I am exhausted though. I feel as if I could sleep for days.”

“That’s to be expected dear. You have had a trauma of sorts to your body and it needs to recover. Your mediwitch said that it would take several days to get back to normal and that you would be a bit achy and tired but the pain potions should help with that and I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but I brought you a box of your favorite truffles as well as several books and magazines. Harry had owled me this morning to say that you may be restricted to your bed from the information you’d gotten from Fleur last night so I thought I would bring these just in case.”

Draco’s eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate. “Thank you, Mother! That’s wonderful and I’m sure that I will need the distractions. As I’m sure you remember I’m not the best of patients.”

A loud laugh and an unladylike snort escaped before Narcissa composed herself and told Harry, “That he is not. Harry you are in for a very difficult few days if his childhood illnesses were any indication. I remember he once made Dobby dance for him for hours to entertain him when he had fallen off a horse and broken his leg. The healer made him stay in bed for two days to heal the bone and make sure there was no other damage since he was so young and he was a holy terror. I thought Lucius was going to body-bind him to the bed at one point. He was nine and actually threatened to hex the next person who tried to tell him to stay in bed, even though he didn’t have a real wand yet.”

Harry was laughing so hard that he had tears coming from his eyes. Narcissa was chuckling, but Draco had an incensed look on his face. “I was a child and it was the middle of the summer! The last thing I wanted to do was to stay inside when I should have been outside playing. Besides, Dobby didn’t mind. He liked to play with me, although we never let on to father.”

“I know, my sweet. You did very well. By the way, who do you think sent Dobby to you in the first place?”

Draco was shocked when his mother winked at him. “You knew that we were friends? Didn’t you mind that I was playing with one of the house-elves?”

“Of course not, you were a little boy and needed friends. As you mentioned, it was the middle of the summer and most of your playmates were on holiday with their families so we couldn’t have any of them over so who else would you play with? I didn’t want you to spend all of your time alone. Dobby loved you and even though he was an odd little elf, he was very good with you. I wonder what happened to him,” Narcissa added curiously.

Harry had been following this exchange avidly and when Narcissa mentioned Dobby’s whereabouts, he got a sad smile before answering her. “Dobby was my friend too and if you remember, he helped me and my friends escape the Manor when Bellatrix was trying to kill us. He apparated us away to Bill and Fleur’s cottage but when she threw her knife just before we popped out, it hit Dobby. He died there on the beach after he saved our lives. We even made sure to have a nice marker for him since he died protecting us.”

Both Narcissa and Draco were looking at Harry in horror. Even though he was only a servant to Lucius, he had been a friend to Draco and knowing that their family caused his death appalled them both. With tears sparkling in his eyes, Draco said, “Then he died a hero, in my book. He was a friend to me when I was a child and I didn’t have many, so this is yet another thing I have to atone for. My family caused too many deaths during the war and I need to try and make things right again. Even if it was crazy Aunt Bella who caused this one.”

Shaking his head, Harry remarked, “I don’t think that Dobby would have seen it that way Draco. He knew what he was risking. Hell, he risked his life when he tried to help me second year. He did everything he could to try and keep me away from Hogwarts because of the diary and he helped when he could. I think I surprised him pretty good when I freed him.” Smiling broadly at the memory, Harry told the story of how he tricked Lucius into freeing Dobby and how he had protected Harry.

“That’s what happened? Father was furious, but I didn’t know that’s what happened! He told me that Dobby had been disloyal and that he freed him as punishment. He did come to see me a few times when he returned to work at Hogwarts and he didn’t seem to be unhappy though, so I did wonder if I’d gotten the whole story. It would appear that I did not.”

“He came to see me at the Manor once before Voldemort descended upon it. He let me know that he was happy and that he was still trying to keep an eye out for my little Dragon. I knew that he was happy as a free elf, but I never expected to hear all of this. I will miss him even more now,” she added sadly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring this up to make everyone sad. He wouldn’t have wanted that. I did find out after the war that Dobby and Winky had a baby. Actually Draco, you met her last night. I asked Winky and Dipsy to come to stay with me and help with Teddy since I knew how unhappy Winky had been not having a real family any more. She was very happy and still comes to help often, but she is staying with Hermione and Neville at the moment. Can you believe that? I convinced Hermione that she could use the help while she and Neville are working on their exams and they are both helping with Ginny’s wedding.”

“The little house-elf that told you off last night is Dobby’s daughter?” Draco laughed so hard that he almost fell off the bed. “Why does this not surprise me in the least? He was a great playmate, but a horrible house-elf.”

Chuckling quietly, Harry agreed and shared a few of the hair-raising tales of how Dobby tried to “save” him during second year and this brought the mood back up. They kept the conversation light after that and Narcissa decided she should be leaving when Draco started drifting off around 8:30. She tenderly kissed Draco’s forehead and said that she would check on him tomorrow and would be back to visit him on Saturday. Harry walked her to the Floo and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before reassuring her that he would take care of Draco for her.

“Darling, I know you will take care of him. That’s what you seem to have been placed on this earth to do. I wish you luck. He really is a terror, but keeping him stuffed with chocolates will help things along. Maybe sit with him so that he can talk or even play a game. I know you’ve got that beautiful Wizard’s Chess set that Ron and Pansy gave you. That should keep him occupied and hopefully not whining for at least an hour or two.”

“Narcissa, I will be fine. I plan on having Fleur come to talk to him some about things he’s to expect and I was thinking of having the group meet in his room if he’s alright with that. Just to keep him involved and occupied. My secret weapon, though, is my contact at the newest chocolatier that just opened in Diagon Alley. Have you heard about it?” Going on after seeing the brief negative shake, Harry went on to tell her about the brilliant new shop. “Well, apparently there was a wizard in the family somewhere for both Patrick Roger from France as well as one of the Draps from the Godiva Chocolatier in Belgium. They saw what Honeydukes had done with blending the chocolate into magical sweets and they decided to work together and open a wizarding sweet shop. They have the most wonderful line of alcoholic sweets. They are amazing! They have the more Muggle flavors, but they also have fire whiskey, Butter Beer and even a beautiful high end collection of truffles filled with Elvin wine and coated in gold flakes. Jean-Daniel and Luca met at some convention and realized they were both wizards and started talking and they now have a new shop that opened last month with the most decadent confections that I’ve ever had in my life. They are geniuses. You really should check them out. I know you appreciate the finer things and this certainly fits the bill for that. They may put a dent in your Gringott’s accounts if Draco finds out about them.” Harry winked as he laughed at the thought.

Narcissa joined in Harry’s laughter. It seemed that Harry knew her son just a bit better than she had realized. Interesting. Yet another thought to tuck away to ponder at another time. “Yes, that does sound quite accurate. Draco does have quite the sweet tooth. I’m sure that he would adore this new shop. How did you find out about them Harry? It sounds as if you’ve known them for a while now.”

“Yes, I have known them for several months. Jean-Daniel is the friend who recommended The Phoenix House to Mathilda’s mother. Apparently, he has a cousin who is part Veela that was here for several months just after we opened and he came with Elise for moral support when she brought Mathilda in for her interview. He was very pleasant and saw the huge box of Honeydukes chocolates on my desk that you had sent for my birthday and we started talking and he found out that I was an investor in Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and suggested that I may enjoy another investment that would pay for itself in no time. I made a decent sized investment and I’ve already made back half of it in the six weeks that they have been open. I also regularly get a delivery of their newest items for “inspection and quality control” but I really think they just want to bribe me to keep re-investing. I have no problem doing just that because they really are outstanding at what they do. If you go in, please make sure to tell them that I was bragging about how fabulous they are. They will probably give you free samples if not more.”

“That sounds wonderful! I’ll have to go tomorrow and make sure to have a large selection sent over for Draco. I’m sure that he will adore it. What is the name of the shop, dear, and which end of the Alley is it on?”

“They are next door to Quality Quidditch and the store is called The Lord and Lady’s Transcendental Treats. Ask for either Jean-Daniel or Luca. They are the owners and my friends so they will take good care of you.”

“Thank you dear, I foresee a lovely day shopping tomorrow. I also see an extra package or two for you and Teddy, so no complaining when it arrives. Please do one thing for me tonight, Harry? Stay with Draco? He sometimes has nightmares when he’s ill and I know that having you there would make him feel so much better. Would you mind?”

“Not at all. I was actually planning to do that anyway. I know how it is to be in pain and the back is the worst. I have a feeling that I will probably be administering at least one more pain potion before morning. You know that I don’t mind doing it.”

“I know. I just worry about Draco. He has been through so much and I only want to see him finally have a bit of happiness. I want that for you too, Harry. I’m going to say something that may be over the line for you, but I feel that it needs to be said. I know how you feel about Draco. I’ve seen it in your eyes every time you asked after him while he was still in Azkaban and I know that he has feelings for you as well. I’m not asking for anything other than for you to keep an open mind. I know you, Harry. I know that you will worry about taking advantage of him by trying to get closer while he is here but I give you my approval before that issue ever comes up. You are a wonderful, loving man and I think that you would be a perfect match for my son. He has not had the same type of upbringing that you have, but his was not a happy childhood either. His father made sure of that. I feel that you two would be able to help each other heal and I can’t think of anything that would make me happier.”

Harry listened to every word that Narcissa said and was completely gobsmacked. How could she be saying this? Draco had feelings for him as well? How had she figured out he had feelings for Draco? Most importantly, did she really just give him permission to date her son? “Narcissa, I don’t really know what to say to that. I didn’t realize that I was so transparent in my affections, but I appreciate your approval. You are right about worrying about taking advantage of him though. I have seen how fragile he is right now and I don’t want that to cause him to feel dependant on me. I want him to want me for who I am, not that I’m a convenient shoulder to cry on. It’s really a very confusing situation to find myself in. Am I making any sense?”

Walking over to the confused young man in front of her, Narcissa took Harry into her arms and gave him a tight hug and kissed the top of his head. “Darling boy, you make perfect sense. This is why I give my permission for you to pursue him. I know you and I know my son. You have both been fighting feelings for each other for years and you just didn’t understand them. I don’t think that either of you could find a better mate. As I said, please just keep an open mind and if the opportunity arises, don’t turn it down without considering how good you could be together. Now my dear, I really am off this time. I will send over some things for Draco and treats for all of my favorite boys tomorrow and I will be back to visit on Saturday. Take care of yourself Harry. And take care of Draco.”

With a quick kiss and goodbye, she tossed in a bit of floo powder and was gone before Harry could truly comprehend all that she had said to him. Shaking his head as if to clear the cobwebs, Harry started moving up the stairs to first check on Teddy and then to go back to Draco. The Veela had barely taken notice of his mother’s departure, but he wanted to make sure that he hadn’t awoken in pain from his new wings. Harry made sure that he had several of the pain potions Felicity had left him with in his pocket before continuing into Teddy’s room.

His godson was asleep and smelled like soap and little boy. It was a smell that made Harry very happy. When he realized that he was gay, the only real regret that he felt was that he wouldn’t be able to have a family of his own. Teddy gave him that chance and he was enjoying every minute, even the hard parts. Who the hell expected Harry Potter to be able to actually have a normal life? He knew that he certainly didn’t, but he had always been wrong about the important things. This time it was a good thing to be wrong. Giving Teddy a quick kiss on the forehead, Harry quietly left and moved to Draco’s room. He wanted to check on him once more before showering and preparing for bed. It was a good thing that he did, because Draco was growing restless and Harry could tell from his movements and facial expressions that he was in pain again. He moved quickly to the side of the bed and put a hand on Draco’s shoulder to try and bring him awake without startling him and possibly causing more pain. His eyes opened slowly and took a few moments to focus, but then he seemed to realize where he was and gave Harry a small pained grin. “Hi. Do you happen to have one of those pain potions because my back hurts like a bitch at the moment and I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep?”

“Of course I do. That’s why I came to check on you. I wanted to see if you needed another potion. Hmmm. I’m not sure how this is going to work with you being on your stomach. I suppose I’ll have to put this in a spoon like we did for the food. Oh wait!” Harry got a silly grin on his face and suddenly after pointing his wand at the potions phial; it turned itself into a sippy cup with a dragon straw on it. The dragon’s tail was twitching but it seemed perfectly happy to remain twined around the base of the straw. Draco looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to be delighted or offended at the children’s cup that was holding his potion, but finally settled on resigned.

“I’m not going to ask why you turned my potion into a child’s cup, but I’m in pain and really don’t care. Give me the damned thing.”  Harry smiled indulgently at his grumpy patient and did as asked. Draco drank the potion and when he was about to re-transfigure the phial, Draco stopped him. “No don’t change him back. I like the looks of him and this way I have something that I can use for the other potions.” Draco realized that he’d just asked to keep his sippy and added quickly, “I mean, it did come in handy and I didn’t have to choke trying to drink from the phial.”

Harry couldn’t contain his laughter any longer. He tried to stop but when he saw Draco pouting that just brought them back in full force. He could imagine just what this beautiful man must have looked like as a sulking child who was stuck in bed for days during the summer. He did finally calm himself and by this time, Draco was looking as if he could kill Harry, or as if he wanted to cry. He leaned down and brushed a kiss over Draco’s slightly damp forehead like he had for Teddy each time the boy was sick or upset and this seems to settle Draco as well. Standing back up, he sees the shocked look on Draco’s face and has to ask what’s wrong.

“That was just a bit unexpected, but it reminded me so strongly of my mother. She would always do that just before leaving to let me rest when I was ill as a child.”He added so softly that Harry almost missed it, “It was nice.”

Gazing fondly at the beautiful man in front of him, Harry sighed quietly. “I just want you to be comfortable here, Draco. I’d also like to make sure you know that I really enjoyed your company today and look forward to this working relationship turning into, hopefully, a real friendship. I think I’ve wanted that for a while. I hope that you would like that as well.”

The smile that Draco gave Harry almost took him off his feet. It was brilliant and rivaled the sun in his opinion. “I would love that Harry. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve wanted to apologize to you for many years and I honestly think that the only real reason that I tried to maintain the rivalry we had in school was because I was hurt that you’d turned down my friendship. I would love to be your friend Harry.” Giggling and then yawning, he added, “I also think that I would like to become more than a friend. That was yet another thing I figured out while I was stuck in that cell for three long years. I figured out that I wasn’t just jealous of your friends being so close to you all the time, but I was jealous of the girls that you were kissing. I wanted you to kiss me. But I think I’m going to sleep now. Is that okay Harry?”

Knowing that he would be righteously pissed off in the morning if he remembered saying all these things, Harry hoped that Draco wouldn’t remember his ramblings while under the influence of the pain potions before going to sleep. Harry told him that he should sleep and that he was going to get ready for bed but assured him that he would be back as soon as possible when he received a panicked look from the Veela at the thought of being left alone.  



	5. The Phoenix House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Harry moved out of the room and across the hall to his own quickly to avoid leaving Draco alone any longer than necessary. The entire time he was showering and preparing himself for bed, Harry was thinking about the things that Draco and Narcissa had shared with him tonight. On the one hand, Harry had known since he had figured out his sexuality that he was attracted to Draco Malfoy. When he had finally allowed himself to give in to his fantasies of another man touching him, it was always the aristocratic features of the young blond god who graced the fantasy man who made him scream. On the other hand though, he had to wonder if the potion induced words had been true. Narcissa seemed to think that Draco had feelings for Harry for quite a while, but was this just her wishful thinking? He knew that Narcissa would have been just as happy to have him a part of the family as Molly had been to think the same while he was dating Ginny briefly.

He was glad that things had settled down after his confession to the Weasley family that he was gay and this was why he and Ginny had broken up. One of his greatest fears had been being rejected by his surrogate family, but he was quickly grabbed up by Molly and Arthur in a huge hug to let him know that he would always be a part of their family and that they knew the children would get past this soon and just give them time. That had been correct. George was fine with him being gay and even tried to set him up with a few friends to Harry’s amusement and horror when he realized that his blind date was going to be Zacharias Smith and the next Terrance Higgs. George knew that he couldn’t stand either of these men, but thought it would be funny to watch the faces of both of them when they realized who their dates were.

Ron had taken a few days to come around, but apparently Hermione had let him have it for deserting his friend yet again and he realized what a wanker he was being so gave in and came over with a bottle of Fire whiskey and a “Care package” of things a gay man would need. Harry had been horrified and utterly humiliated when opening the box, so stopped at the first magazine and didn’t go back until they had each had at least a quarter of the bottle. At this point, Harry was able to laugh at each item and literally fell in the floor when Ron told him about purchasing all the items for the box. George had told him about a place that just opened called The Wizard’s Wand. It was on the corner of Knockturn and Diagon Alleys and catered to wizarding sex toys and porn. He could only imagine his best friend walking into a place like that and even funnier would be seeing him purchase things there. Apparently he had walked in and talked to the clerk, who also turned out to be the owner and explained the situation. He just found out his best mate was bent and was a twat before realizing he was still the same man and now wanted to apologize with a box full of things to show he was alright with him being gay. The owner was ecstatic at being able to help his friend and immediately got a basket and started throwing things into it while explaining in explicit detail what each item was and what it did. There were magazines for fetishes and certain body types, books explaining the intricacies of gay sex and how to make your partner scream for hours. The selection of toys was just as embarrassing, but also intriguing. These were mostly magical toys so they made things easy and the thoughts of using them on himself and a partner almost made him want his friend to leave so that he could try a few of them out. There were still times when Harry would pull out that memory to tease his friend with if he was being a prat or just clueless but they had gotten past all of the difficult things and moved on. Now Ron just wanted Harry to be as happy as he was with Pansy.

Ginny had been the one to take his news the worst. She knew that they weren’t together any more, but she apparently had this ridiculous idea that they would end up together. She’d had a crush on Harry for as long as any of them could remember and was under the impression that Harry felt the same way but just needed to sow a few wild oats after being under a death sentence for so many years. She cried and raged over Harry’s insane idea that he could possibly be more interested in blokes than in her. She was furious and had stormed out of the Burrow. He didn’t hear from her for months and then she showed up on his doorstep in tears and smelling strongly of cheap wine. She had rattled on for half an hour about how she loved Harry and he should be with her and not some bloke who didn’t know who he really was before Harry finally had enough. He put a silencing spell on the drunken witch and went to grab a sobering potion which he poured down her throat himself. When she was sufficiently coherent, he let her have it. He told her that he knows that he is gay because he loves having a cock up his arse and kissing her and the small amount of fooling around they had done did nothing for him other than make him realize he really didn’t want to fuck a female. He also let her know that he knew she was “in love with him” because of his name and status in the Wizarding community at large. She was selfish, self-absorbed and only wanted him to make herself more popular. She never knew him before developing her crush and that told him everything he needed to know. She only wanted to be with Harry Potter: Savior of the Wizarding World and not Harry the real man. She had been shocked that he could possibly think that and stormed out on him again.

This time he didn’t hear from her for almost a year. He had heard from Molly that she was playing professional Quidditch now and that she wasn’t speaking to most of the Weasley family because they all agreed with Harry. She finally owled him and asked if they could meet up at The Three Broomsticks the next time that she was in town. He agreed and they met up there a week later. She quickly apologized for being such a horrid friend and then told him that he had really made her think about the person she was. After many such evenings of self-reflection and looking at things she had done and the reasons she had done them made her realize that she was a very shallow person. She also came to the conclusion that she really didn’t like what she saw in herself. Harry had been right about everything that he said to her and she just didn’t want to hear it. She had thought that her family was being disloyal to her by taking Harry’s side in this, but now she knew that they had done the exact right thing. She had taken several months to herself before she made the decision to talk with Harry again because she knew that she didn’t want to cock it up again. He had always been a good friend to her and now she needed to be a good friend to him. She made sure that he knew she didn’t blame him for anything he had ever said or done in their relationship including telling her off quite spectacularly when she came to him the last time. They enjoyed a nice dinner together and Ginny told him about what was now going on in her life. She was indeed playing Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies and she had just started seeing Oliver Wood. They had just gotten engaged and were planning to be married on Boxing Day, so he needed to not have plans and to find a date because she expected to see him there with a handsome man on his arm.

Harry jumped up from his bed when he realized that he had been lost in thought for almost an hour and made his way quickly back to Draco’s room. He stopped when he was just over the threshold and caught his breath at the lovely sight that greeted him. Draco was asleep with his face towards the door; his wings were resting close to his back and looked almost as if he had a white feather blanket over him. As if he sensed Harry’s presence, a small whine came from the Veela as if a small child had dropped his teddy and wanted it back. Harry closed the door and went to the chair he had been sitting in previously beside Draco’s bed. A pale hand moved towards Harry, as if seeking something to comfort the darkness threatening to take over his dreams. He didn’t know how long he sat there thinking about everything that Narcissa had told him and about his feelings for his former rival. Harry finally noticed that it was getting late when his thoughts were interrupted by a huge yawn, so he briefly let go of Draco’s hand, transfigured the chair into a bed large enough to fit a grown man but small enough to fit beside the other bed in the room, grabbed Draco’s hand again and laid down for the night.

The next morning seemed to come much earlier than normal for both men. Draco woke to throbbing pain from his back and Harry woke moments later when he heard the groans of pain from his roommate. Quickly reaching for the Dragon sippy and one of the pain potions, Harry poured the potion into the cup and handed the cup to Draco. Smiling gratefully at his companion, Draco took the cup and drank every drop of the potion, wishing away the pain in his back as fast as it would go. Taking the cup and placing it back on the nightstand, Harry asked Draco how he was feeling and if he would like breakfast or more sleep. He seemed to think about it for a few minutes and then decided that he wouldn’t be able to do much more than doze so he may as well start the day. Harry smiled at the beautiful man beside him and let him know that he would go take care of that and he be back, probably with a troublemaking three-year-old in just a few minutes.

Harry went to his room to splash some cold water on his face to wake himself completely and then changed into a pair of black jeans, a t-shirt and a lovely jade green jumper that had been a gift from Pansy. Laughing to himself, he realized that his Slytherins seemed to love playing dress-up with him. He wondered if Draco would start in on that as well when he was feeling better. Quickly, Harry was inundated with visions of Draco Malfoy removing his clothing and then dressing him in fancy dress robes or Muggle suits. His face flushed prettily when his thoughts moved from Draco re-dressing him in other outfits to Draco leaving Harry naked and now covered with a gorgeous blond Slytherin. He imagined the burning kisses that would be shared and how each touch would feel. This wasn’t the first time that Harry had imagined Draco like this, but it was the first time when Draco was in bed just across the hall, so Harry thought it best to keep those thoughts to himself for the moment.

Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he walked to the door and when he opened it, he found a very surprised little boy looking up at him. “Uncle Harry! What are you doing up?” A small pout started to form on his sweet face before he said, “I always wake you up.”

Leaning down to pick up his godson, Harry gave him a quick kiss good morning and then told him that he was only up because he had stayed with Draco last night and they had woken up early because Draco’s back was hurting. Teddy accepted this excuse for breaking their long-standing morning tradition and then asked if Draco was okay now. Harry smiled at him and said he was doing fine if he would like to go keep him company while Harry took care of breakfast and spoke with Fleur for a few moments. Teddy agreed and also let him know that he would only touch Draco’s wings if he was told it was alright. Harry gave him a tight squeeze and told him how proud of him he was for remembering his manners and for keeping his cousin company for a while. Teddy beamed at Harry’s praise and squirmed his way down to the floor and went quickly to see the Veela across the way while Harry made his way to the kitchen.

“Good morning Tinky. How are you this morning?”

Blushing even after all the praise and kindness all the elves received over the past years, the small elf gave a bright smile at her master and said, “Thank you for asking, Master Harry. I is doing very well this morning. Tinky would be happy to make a plate for Master Harry if he would like one.”  
Smiling down at her, Harry told Tinky that he would appreciate it if she could make up a tray for himself, Teddy and Draco and have it delivered to Draco’s room. “He’s just had his wings come in so he’s in quite a bit of pain right now. Things that can be easily eaten with hands or small bites from a spoon or fork would be best as he isn’t supposed to get out of bed and must stay on his stomach because of his wings.”

Tinky told him that she would be honored to serve his small group this morning and that they would have a tray to them in a short while. She also agreed to have Fleur come to see him as soon as she made her appearance since Harry didn’t want to wake her up when he realized how early it still was. He walked back upstairs to Draco’s room and heard laughter coming from Draco’s room. Smiling at the sound, Harry walked back in and found Teddy sitting on Draco’s bed once again petting his wings. “Teddy, you did get permission before touching, didn’t you?”

With a drowsy grin, Draco answered for the child, “Yes, he was a perfect little gentleman and asked before he climbed up onto the bed and also before touching my wings. Then he started telling me all kinds of amusing stories about you and my mother.”

Groaning and looking at the little boy with mock horror, Harry asked what he had been telling Draco. Laughing at the look he was getting, Teddy told him how he was letting Draco know about what a good caregiver Harry was and how he and Aunt Cissy always made sure he was taken care of and happy and that they liked to take him places and Aunt Cissy loved to take him shopping. He also told him that he told Draco all about the trip to the zoo and the museum and to Uncle George’s shop. The whole time the child prattled on, Draco was nodding his head and smiling at him. It was something that Harry was happy to see. Even if Draco were to only be a friend for him, Harry would never be able to spend time with someone who didn’t adore Teddy like he did. Seeing how happy Draco seemed to be in the company of his godson was a good sign for their friendship.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve been giving Draco all kinds of things to think about. Has he told you any stories? Remember, I told you that we went to school together so he’s probably got lots of stories to tell too, even if we didn’t really get along then.”

“Really? Why not? You two seem to like each other now. And I know that Uncle Harry likes you Draco, else he wouldn’t have let you get on his lap and stuff. And I know that the cup over there is one he made because he made me on just like it only the dragon was a Norwegian Ridgeback.”

Blushing at the mention of his new sippy cup, Draco tried to hide his face while he let Harry explain things to Teddy. “Wow, stepped right into that one, didn’t I Malfoy?” After chuckling at the enthusiastic nodding from the hiding Veela, Harry started to try and explain, “When we first met, Draco wasn’t very nice to my friend who brought me to Diagon Alley. He had grown up with his father telling him that he was better than everyone else and even though he had Aunt Cissy there when he was growing up, she wasn’t there in the shop with him so he acted like he thought he was supposed to from what his father had always said. We met again a short while later on the Hogwarts Express and he was mean to Uncle Ron there, because again he was told by his father that Weasleys weren’t the kind of wizard he should be around and he was upset with me for not wanting to be friends with him instead of Ron. We both had a lot of things happen to us that made us change how we thought about people and things that we’d been told so now we can be friends and we both see the mistakes we made when we were little. Does that answer your question Teddy?”

Teddy was looking very serious but was nodding as his hair was shifting from red to green to black to white blonde. “I think so. So just because someone doesn’t like you when you’re little, that doesn’t mean they won’t like you forever?” The brilliant smile that Harry got in return for his nod to the little boy was amazing. He knew that Teddy had been hurt by some mean things other children had said to him on occasion and he was glad that his new friendship with Draco could help to make him feel a little more confident. “Good! I’m glad that you two are friends now because I really like Draco!” In his enthusiasm, Teddy forgot that Draco was hurt and he quickly launched himself at Draco to give him a big hug. He tried to hide the discomfort because he was truly overjoyed that this incredible little boy seemed to like him so much.

Harry quickly moved over to the bed to try and remove the little boy from the pained Veela. “Teddy, remember that Draco is hurting. I can tell that he’s enjoying the hug, but I think that you may be causing him some pain so let’s wait until he’s healed to give him hugs like that, alright?”

Teddy lurched away and apologized with tears in his eyes, “I’m sorry Draco, I didn’t mean to hurt you! Please don’t be mad at me!”

Giving Harry a withering glare before reaching for Teddy, Draco pulled him closer and kissed his forehead then said, “Don’t you worry about that. I know that you didn’t mean to hurt me and so did Harry. He was right and I did enjoy the hug, but these stupid wings just won’t let me right now. I could never be made at you, little angel. I’ll just be expecting lots of extra hugs when my back doesn’t hurt anymore. Deal?”

Harry moved closer and lifted Teddy up on his lap in the chair beside Draco’s bed so that he could give him a kiss on the cheek after agreeing to the extra hugs. “I hope you didn’t think that I meant I thought you did that on purpose, sweet boy. I know that you didn’t and that’s why I was reminding you. I love you and I know you would never hurt someone on purpose. Do you forgive me for making it sound like that?” Teddy quickly turned around and gave Harry a tight hug and kiss and nodded that he did understand. Just as he was sitting back down in Harry’s lap, Dipsy came in with the huge tray of breakfast for the three of them.

“Wow, that’s a lot of food for just three of us, isn’t it Harry? Did you order everything in the kitchen?” Draco asked smiling.

“No, just a tray with finger foods and things easy to eat since you weren’t supposed to turn over yet per your mediwitch instructions.”

Dipsy gave the three wizards as haughty a look as a house-elf could manage and replied, “We was not knowing what Mister Draco liked to eat so we’s made Master Harry’s and Mister Teddy’s favorites and a sampling of other things so’s we make sure you is satisfied with breakfast since you is not feelings well.”

“Thank you for that Dipsy. We do appreciate your wanting to make sure that Draco is fed well while he is convalescing. Make sure to pass the thanks along to Tinky. Here, let me take that and put it over here where we can all reach it.” Harry quickly grabbed his wand and transfigured the nightstand into a table big enough for the food and all three present to have room to eat their breakfast. He quickly took the tray from the elf and put it down. He realized that there weren’t any drinks on the tray and turned around to ask but heard Dipsy apparate out and then just as quickly pop back in with another smaller tray with glasses, a flagon of pumpkin juice, a teapot and cups as well as a small coffee pot and mugs. “Is there anything else Dipsy can do for you Master Harry?”

“Thank you for your assistance Dipsy. I did want to introduce you to Draco though. He knew your father and was quite fond of him. He didn’t know who you were the other night.”

The small elf turned huge watery eyes towards the prone Veela and said softly, “You was a friend of Dobby, my daddy?” When Draco smiled at her and nodded, she came over and took the hand that was still lying off of the side of the bed and kissed the back of it reverently. “I don’t remember him because I was just a baby when he died, but I hears many kind things about him. I is honored to meet another friend of my daddy’s.”

“Why thank you Dipsy. Your daddy was a very dear friend to me when I was Teddy’s age up until I went to Hogwart’s and he was freed. I only just heard of his death and I am very sad that he is gone. I am glad that you are here because he deserved to be happy and if he had a baby elf, I know he would have been ecstatic.”

Dipsy was crying now and she quickly thanked Draco again for being a friend of her father’s and left before she could embarrass herself or her master. Draco turned wide eyes at Harry before asking, “Why did you do that?”

“She seems sad, but she is so proud to hear that witches and wizards knew Dobby and for her to know that you considered him a friend was the highest praise she knows. She knew that I felt that way, but I’m her Master so I think she might think I’m just saying that. Coming from someone like you, who just came here and isn’t in charge of her, it makes a world of difference. It makes her proud of Dobby and it makes her happy. It also makes me happy that someone remembers him as someone other than a servant.”

“Well, when you put it that way, it makes more sense. It just seemed to make the poor thing sad and I knew that you wouldn’t do something just to make one of your house-elves unhappy, even if she did dress you down twice in two days.”

Snorting at Draco’s comment, Harry replied, “Hardly! She makes the most amazing chocolate biscuits so I would never try to upset her! Now let’s dig into this delicious breakfast.” At that, Harry plated up for all three of them and helped Draco if needed. Teddy as always, seemed to want a bit of everything that was there. Draco hadn’t really seen him eat yet and was amazed at the amount of food the one small boy could consume.

“Ye gods, I never thought I would see anyone who could eat that much other than Ron Weasley! That boy could practically eat his own weight at Hogwarts feasts.”

Harry agreed, “I’ve often said the same thing myself. He’s been like that ever since I got him. I got him when he was about 15 months old and I remember a dinner one night where I was still feeding him from my plate so I had everything cut into bite-sized pieces. We were having roast potatoes and carrots and I’d made chicken nuggets, the good kind where you make them from chicken breasts not those horrid frozen kinds from the Muggle markets. They say a baby that age should have about three or four nuggets and about half a potato or carrot. Well, I stepped away from the table to answer the door and by the time I came back in with Molly, he’d eaten all 12 of the nuggets and two carrots and potatoes. I was really upset thinking that he was going to be sick and I wasn’t fit to keep him when Molly told me that Ron did the same thing when he was his age. Also Fred and George. Look at how skinny they all are and I was convinced he should be okay. I try not to let him eat too much, but when he doesn’t eat like this at meal time, he’s hungry later. I’d rather he have healthy food at meals then to have to snack all the time so he’s not hungry later.”

“That does make sense. I know that I was always a very finicky eater, but even more so as a child. The elves at the manor were never allowed to make food like you would normally give a child. I wasn’t allowed pizza or nuggets or things like that, I was given the same thing as the adults, just without the things that weren’t good for children like some of the spices or alcohol used in cooking. I was shocked by the food we got at Hogwarts. I actually found things that I liked and not the fancy foods you would expect in a restaurant.”

Teddy was quickly excused so that he could go find Frannie or Lavender to play with and left the two men alone. Giving a sad smile, Harry added in, “I didn’t have much choice. I wasn’t given a lot as a child so I ate what I was given or I went hungry.”

Draco threw a shocked look Harry’s way and asked, “What do you mean you weren’t given a lot as a child? Do you mean to tell me that those Muggles didn’t even feed you?”

“Not really. I was given the scraps and leftovers and if they went out to eat, they would occasionally bring home a doggie-bag for me. Otherwise, I would get what I could and one of our neighbors, Miss Figg who I later found out was a squib that watched out for me, she would make sure I was well fed when they left me with her. She wanted to help, and she did what she could, but I didn’t want to be a bother.”

Draco looked as if he was about to work himself up into a righteous snit, “The boy who was supposed to save the wizarding world was starved as a child? What the fuck else did they do to you? Why was Mother so bent on torturing the bastards who raised you Harry?”

Harry was embarrassed at sharing the details of his childhood with others, but he knew that Draco would only ask his mother or Pansy if he didn’t tell him what he was asking for. “I’ll tell you about this, but you have to promise me to not go and kick their arses. This is all in the past, alright?” Draco gave a terse nod and Harry continued angrily, “Just after my parents were killed, I was placed with my aunt and uncle because of the protections The Order could place on me there because of the ties by blood. They really didn’t want me because they didn’t like magic or anyone having anything to do with it. In a nutshell, they kept me in a cupboard under the stairs, called me names or totally ignored me, verbally abused me and treated me like a house-elf until I got my Hogwarts letter which they tried to keep me from getting until Hagrid came to get me and gave me the letter in person along with my first birthday cake and took me to Diagon Alley to get all of my school supplies and he got me my first birthday gift there as well when he got me Hedwig. I met you there and that’s why I was so upset when you insulted Hagrid. He was my first contact with the wizarding world since I was a baby and then again when you were on the train, I had just met Ron and his family who were very kind to me and helped me get onto the platform without making me feel like an idiot since it was my first time there and you came through and made fun of my first real friend. That was why I didn’t like you for so long. You acted like a bully and my cousin Dudley used to bully me all the time. Once I got back from Hogwarts, they let me move to a tiny room upstairs that they had used for Dudley’s broken toys but they locked the door and put in a cat flap so they could slip food in. They also had bars on my window until Ron, Fred and George came to break me out with their flying car. Let’s see, next summer was Quidditch World Cup, the next was Dementors in Little Whinging and me being tried before the full Wizengamot for under-aged magic for conjuring the Patronus that saved my cousin and me, the next summer was quiet until Dumbledore came to get me himself and we went to convince Slughorn to come back to Hogwarts all of that after he’d told off my relatives for being rude and not saying goodbye to me before I left for the school term and the last summer I was there was very quiet since I was getting ready to go hunting for horcruxes and convincing my relatives they really were in danger because of the madman on the loose. That’s it for home life, moving on to the rest that happened at school. First year I fought a mountain troll with Ron and Hermione then went up against Voldemort stuck to the back of Quirrel’s head. Second was the Chamber of Secrets and teen-aged Voldie. Third was the year that I thought I was being chased down by my godfather but it turned out I was being protected by him from Wormtail. Forth year was the Goblet of Fire and psycho, polyjuiced professors, Deatheaters in a graveyard and bringing old snake-face back into a body.  Fifth year I started getting visions through Voldemort’s eyes, saw myself in a dream as Nagini trying to eat Arthur Weasley, saw Sirius AK-ed by your fucking insane aunt and fall through the veil in the Department of Mysteries  after The Order and several friends helped me fight off your father and a group of his buddies, tried to Crucio your aunt but failed and then was possessed by Voldie in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Sixth year I’m sure you remember as I was your personal stalker, that was when I originally found out about the horcruxes and helped kill Dumbledore because he made me force a poison down his throat to get what turned out to be a fake horcrux because he knew he was already dying. Did you know that, by the way? He forced Snape into some type of Wizard’s promise or vow to kill him because he was already dying and he knew that you were charged with his death but didn’t want you to have to live with that and then he forced me to poison him before taking him back to save you by letting Snape kill him while I was in a body-bind under my invisibility cloak and forced to watch my mentor die because he thought it was what needed to be done for everyone to come out alive. Obviously, that didn’t include him. That was a complicated few hours to make my way through when I was trying to figure out what the fuck really happened later. I missed out on seventh year as you know due to the Great Horcrux Hunt of 1997. I was there when Snape died, he gave me his memories of my mother and I found out that he was in love with her. He turned spy to protect my mother and when she died he vowed to keep me safe, even if I was the son of his most hated rival. He was braver than I ever gave him credit for and I will be eternally sorry that I didn’t give him the respect that he deserved. The ending, you were there for and know that I fought Voldemort. What you probably don’t know unless Narcissa told you is that I died there and had a very long and strange vision that led me back to life and the completion of my destiny by killing an insane man with the power of love. Does that answer all of your questions or is there something else I can drag out of my skeleton closet for you?”

Draco was completely stunned. He had listened in horror to the things that this man had endured as a child and felt nothing but guilt and anger. Tears were streaming down his face and he honestly wasn’t sure when they had started, but they wouldn’t stop now. He was looking at Harry with a whole new perspective on the boy he thought he’d known and had more respect for the man he now was because he’d made it through that hell and ended up such a beautiful person. He was staring at his companion and didn’t know what to do now. He had started this inquisition without meaning to hurt Harry, but he obviously had. He was sitting in his chair with his face buried in his hands and looked as if he would like to curl into a little ball. Draco had done this and now he was determined to fix it. Slowly reaching out to Harry with the only hand that could make it off of the bed, Draco tried to take Harry’s hand or make some attempt at comfort. He noticed the gesture and grabbed Draco’s hand in a tight grasp but still didn’t move anything else.

Quietly, Draco tried to pull him out of the mood that he’d put Harry into by simply saying his name, “Harry?” A small whimper came from him. “Harry, I’m so sorry I brought this all up. Please don’t be mad at me. Can I do anything to help?” The Veela was growing distraught at his companion’s reaction to talking about his past. How could he do this to the man who was making this nightmare of a life better? “Please Harry, talk to me.”

Slowly Harry lifted his head and saw how upset Draco was at his little hissy fit he’d thrown. He moved closer to Draco and did his best to cuddle the man while trying to avoid the large wings protruding from his back so that he didn’t hurt him. “Oh no Draco! I’m not mad at you. Not at all, so please don’t think that. It just brought up some bad memories but it would have happened at some point. We are getting to be friends so it would have come up sometime. May as well get the painful things out in the beginning, yeah?” Harry placed a soothing kiss on Draco’s brow and wiped away the tears that were now drying on his pale cheeks. “I’m actually the one who should be apologizing for being such a git. I shouldn’t have taken all that frustration and anger out on you. Please forgive me?”

Draco nodded enthusiastically and then did something very unexpected. He pulled Harry into the sweetest kiss he had ever had the pleasure of being a part of. “All’s forgiven and now we’ve kissed and made up. I do want to say a few things though, if you don’t mind?” Seeing Harry’s eyebrow raise in a frighteningly good imitation of a favorite former Potion’s Master, Draco started talking, “I never knew three-quarters of the shite that you’ve been through. You were right earlier when you told Teddy how I was influenced by my father. I really was and that’s one of the main reasons that I had wanted to apologize to you for so long. Even before I was sent to Azkaban, I was starting to see what a total arse I was. I hate the little bastard that I was when I was in school and would change so many things if I could go back. I’m hoping to be able to make up for at least a little of the pain I caused everyone back then. I had such a different picture of your life in my mind from what Father had always preached to me. Even the things that happened at school, I never knew about most of that stuff either. It’s just another thing that makes me wish that we had been friends back then.”

“Draco, we can’t change the past. We were both a product of how we were raised. Your father made sure that you were filled with that pure-blood propaganda and I was made to believe that I was a waste of space. Both of us also made split-second decisions about the other based on what we’d been told growing up. We are now adults and can see past all of that. I for one am very happy that I don’t see you as that spoiled brat that you were in school and I hope that you don’t see me as the attention-seeking glory hound you thought me to be. We have a lot in common and I would like nothing more than to get to know you better. Do you think you could stand having me around a little longer?”

Harry laughed when he felt himself pulled into an even tighter embrace. He knew that things would work out with him and Draco’s new friendship and he hoped that they would end up kissing like they had moments earlier. Did he dare try to bring that up to the emotional Veela or should that be a conversation for later on? The decision was taken from his hands when they heard a knock on the door and then saw Felicity pop her head in and ask if she could come and check on her patient. They waved her in and Harry moved off the bed and stood holding Draco’s hand while Felicity checked over Draco’s back and wings. She said he was healing very well and may even be able to get up for short periods of time as soon as tomorrow. She made sure that they still had a good stock of the pain potions and let them know that Draco should be able to eat a bit more this morning and then pretty much normally starting with lunch if he felt up to it. He was very happy to hear that he would be able to sit up in bed as long as he didn’t try to crush his wings and then with Harry’s help, the mediwitch lifted Draco up into a sitting position. She made sure to let him know that he would need to continue sleeping on his stomach until his wings were able to fully retract.

Harry heard a small grumble as he walked Felicity to the door, “Easy for you to say. Sleeping on my stomach causes a distinct pain in the morning stiffy, damn it.” Harry only barely kept from laughing and having to explain what it was about to his mediwitch. He was glad to have her on staff at times like this though. He really didn’t know how he could have handled the past few days without her and told her as much. “You’re doing wonderfully Harry. If I didn’t know better, I would say that you were mated with how good you are at taking care of him.”

Blushing brightly, Harry stuck his tongue out at Felicity and said, “Thanks for that. I’m sure my former nemesis would love to be linked to me as his mate. I wouldn’t mind, but I doubt seriously that he would want anything to do with me romantically.”  
“Harry, be careful here. If you really do have feelings for Draco, let him know. He will need to have someone care for him and it seems like he has feelings for you too. If you were truly mated it would be a wonderful thing for his peace of mind at this stage in the Veela development and I wouldn’t have to worry so much about you either. You know I adore you, but it hurts me to see you so lonely. Perhaps this is Fate’s way of giving you both what you need.” The mediwitch leaned in and gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at his gobsmacked look. “Just give it some thought.”


	6. The Phoenix House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Days moved quickly around The Phoenix House. Draco’s back healed quickly as did his wings. He was happily attending the groups and his meetings with Fleur and Gabrielle who had just joined staff officially were going marvelously. Everyone was so proud of Draco’s progress and he was happy with himself and the control he was finally gaining over his emotions and his Veela powers. Most nights found Harry and Draco watching movies with Teddy or playing games and talking well into the night. They got to know each other just like they had both wanted to and they understood more things about their similarities and differences than they would have ever imagined.

Harry had listened to Narcissa and Felicity, and even Fleur and Gabrielle had made mention of the obvious camaraderie and affection between the two men. They continued to flirt and Draco even managed to steal a kiss or two but Harry was determined to wait on any romantic relationship until after Draco had completed his stay at The Phoenix House. Much to Draco’s exasperation, Harry was very stubborn on this point. He didn’t want to hurt Draco’s progress and he also didn’t want anything to make his center look bad if someone found out about the personal relationship between himself and one of the patients.

Narcissa was still a familiar face at the center, even more so now that Draco was in residence. She was constantly spoiling her boys with little gifts, or large gifts considering the enormous order of chocolates they received each Monday. She had fallen in love with the sweet shop as soon as she had entered the door and now had a standing order for not only Harry, Draco and Teddy, but also for herself at the Manor. She was apparently passionate about the champagne truffles that were made into tiny champagne flutes and even bubbled like real champagne. Harry had gotten a lovely thank you note from his friends and was told that they could completely pay back the money he had invested after introducing the fabulous Mrs. Malfoy to their little shop. She was buying large amounts and she had been sending in many of her society friends who had all done the same. The store was now even more popular than Honeydukes and they were considering opening another branch in Paris’ Wizarding Quarter.

Days moved them closer to the time of Draco’s discharge and even though both he and Harry were very proud of the progress the new Veela had made, they were both sad to see him go home. Over the past weeks, they had grown very close and Teddy was showing his dismay as well. Harry was hoping that Draco would continue to see him after he no longer needed to stay at The Phoenix House, but all of his insecurities were showing themselves and he couldn’t imagine that Draco would ever want to be with a quiet, untidy man like himself. He could see him with some well-dressed, society man who looked good on his arm as well as in his bed. That was what Draco deserved. Someone who was just as good as he was. But Harry couldn’t stop himself from being jealous of whoever he did end up with. Harry wanted to be the man sharing secret smiles and tender kisses with Draco. He knew that he needed to talk with him about his feelings, but he was so worried that he would damage the new and wonderful friendship they had found while Draco was staying at the center. He had decided that he would make a single attempt at dating the lovely man he’d fallen in love with and if he was rejected then he would make do with the friendship they had now developed in order to keep Draco in his life to some extent. He knew that he couldn’t bear to lose him completely. He was going to ask Draco to be his date for Ginny’s wedding. It was a big affair and was made even more so considering who was being married and the situation surrounding his relationship with the bride.

Draco seemed to be having similar problems with insecurity. The closer time came for him to leave, the more he wanted to stay here with Harry and his new friends. He knew that this was not indecision or worry because of the changes the Veela blood had on him, because he now had very good control over his Veela Allure as well as the emotions brought on by the change and he was also able to work with his wings quite easily. He was due to go shopping in Paris with his mother, Harry and Fleur for clothing that would be easier to wear with his wings this weekend. There were apparently shops that catered to the Veela and those who had wings, so Draco was looking forward to this trip. He hoped to get a little time with Harry alone to try and discuss their situation. He very much wanted to continue their relationship after he left The Phoenix House, but why would Harry want someone like him? He was emotional, selfish, and sarcastic and that was not even considering that he was an ex-Death Eater and prisoner of Azkaban. None of those things mattered though. Draco was determined to make Harry see just how much he cared for him.

He had even talked with Gabrielle about it. She was wonderful! She knew Harry, but not as well or for as long as Fleur had so she was a perfect objective eye. When Draco mentioned his feelings for Harry, she had told him exactly what she saw and it wasn’t coming from a friend or his mother. She was seeing things that those close to Harry wouldn’t and it made Draco’s heart soar when she said that he was in love with Draco as well. This scared Draco silly.  What did she mean “As well?” Did Draco really love Harry? Was he in love with him? This sent him running to his room to think by the fire and after consuming at least six or seven different flavors of truffles, he decided that Gabrielle was correct. He was indeed in love with Harry Potter. Now the hard part came. He needed to figure out how to convince the hard-headed ex-Gryffindor that he really did want him and not just as a crutch. This would be something he would need to discuss with his mother. It would also require loads of chocolate and possibly Fleur and Gabrielle as well.

Draco decided that he would be fire-calling his mother to ask her opinion and if she thought they needed the other ladies help then they would discuss this on their Paris trip over the weekend. Walking while deep in thought can lead to accidents, as Draco found out. He walked around the corner leading to the parlour and bumped into the man he had just been pondering over. Cheeks flushing attractively, he apologized, “Harry! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you alright?”

Harry was a little startled to be trampled by the object of his current distress but made the best of the situation, “Not a problem. I didn’t need that foot anyway. I have another one.” Chuckling at the look of horror on the Veela’s cherished face, he hurriedly added, “Joke! It was a joke Draco. I’m perfectly fine. I was just a bit surprised, but I was actually coming to look for you. Would you have a few minutes to talk with me?”

He couldn’t help but notice the nervous yet hopeful tone in Harry’s words and they piqued his curiosity. “Sure, I hope you’re not going to try and cancel on the shopping trip this weekend. You would have several very angry women if you did.”

Smiling at the thought, Harry replied, “No, I’m not planning to cancel. I still have some Christmas shopping to do and I’ve got to pick up Ginny and Oliver’s wedding gift from the store that it was ordered from. Besides, why would I cancel when I get to spend the weekend with most of my favorite people?”

Draco blushed softly again at the compliment and replied, “Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’m not about to be the only man in that sea of estrogen!”

Laughing loudly, Harry finally started moving them back the way he came from his office as he agreed with his companion. “Believe me; I know what that’s like! Shortly after Pansy and I got to know each other a little better she somehow managed to convince Narcissa and Hermione that they owed it to me to make over my wardrobe. Do you know how horrifying that was? Teddy was just a baby so he wasn’t any help and there was no way Neville or Bill were going to come on a trip like that. Can you imagine all of them with full access to my Gringotts account for that weekend and all the shops in Paris? I don’t know how I still had a knut to my name after that! Teddy had a complete wardrobe that he outgrew before he even got to wear most of it and I still have a lovely wardrobe packed to the brim with very nice things both Muggle and Wizarding styles that are going to last for a number of years as they got what they all termed as “classic” and said I wouldn’t have to get anything else other than pants and socks for years. So far, they are right and I’m terribly happy about that because I refuse to be submitted to that torture again.”

By this point, Draco had fallen into the seat of the sofa and was laughing his beautiful little head off. Once he had composed himself, Draco replied, “I apologize for laughing, but I know exactly what you are talking about because I was dragged on a very similar trip just before fourth year. Mother knew about the Yule Ball because of Father’s connections at the Ministry and so she and Pansy’s mother decided that we both needed new wardrobes including casual and formal dress robes, Muggle casual wear, clothes for school and the horror of horrors for a man in a group of women, shoes! They were in those damned shoe stores for at least two hours a day for the entire week long trip. I thought I was going to die from boredom until Mother finally allowed me to go to a bookstore that was next door to one of the stores they were shopping in where I found enough reading material to carry me through the rest of the trip. Barely.” Leaning in closer to whisper, “I bought six books, four magazines and two potions text books and I finished reading everything but the textbooks during that week.”

Harry’s eyes grew huge at the idea of reading that much just while waiting for his shopping companions to finish their shoe shopping. He was horrified, “This won’t happen again this weekend will it? Because I think I have a proposal that needs to be re-written for submission to the Ministry if that’s the case.”

“No, I promise to keep them in check. Do you know if Bill will be coming with us? I know that Fleur mentioned that he might.”

“Yes, he will be coming for Saturday, but he needs to be back on Sunday afternoon pretty early to help Molly with a few last minute things for Christmas and the wedding. He and his brothers have been roped into setting up the canopies and all the tables and chairs as well as setting up the weatherproof charms around the entire Burrow so that there will be enough room for everyone that’s coming to the wedding. I told her that she was crazy to not have it somewhere else with everyone that Ollie was inviting but she said that Ginny was insisting they have it out back just like Bill and Fleur. At least she is allowing the girls to help with the cooking. It’s going to be such a busy time with immediate family coming for Christmas Eve, extended family on Christmas Day and then the wedding on Boxing Day. I just don’t know how she’s going to do it, even with all the help.”

“They are having that big of a wedding? I thought that you said they were trying to keep it small.”

“Draco, think about the size of their families and then add in both sets of their teammates and even with just their closest friends there would still be at least a couple of hundred people. I’m happy that they made sure to have the media blocked from the ceremony and reception. I know that bitch Skeeter would love to be there but with Ron being an Auror and knowing about her animagus form, they are setting up extra security against that as well as uninvited guests.”

“That’s good. I can only imagine what it would be like if the media were roaming around with two Quidditch teams and several war heroes thrown in. That doesn’t sound like a pretty picture.”

“No, it really wouldn’t be. They deserve to have a nice quiet wedding. Even though we have a rocky past, I really care for Ginny and Ollie was my first team captain and taught me everything I know about playing Quidditch.” Harry gave Draco a long, contemplative look before taking a deep breath and starting in again, “Uh… Draco, I was wondering…”

Draco was watching Harry with concern. He seemed very nervous or uncomfortable about something and he was starting to get a bit anxious. “Harry? What is it? You know you can ask me anything.”

Smiling before he took in another deep breath, “Thanks. I was wondering if you would like to come to the Burrow with me for Christmas dinner and stay for the wedding.”

Draco sat still and took a few moments to process what he’d just heard. Was this a date or was it just for Harry to have a companion for the wedding of his ex? Honestly though, he was thrilled either way that Harry had wanted to ask him of all people. Molly and even Ron had been by The Phoenix House during his stay and Draco had been able to apologize to them. Molly, of course, pulled him into a bone-crushing hug and Ron had turned red then, after Pansy kicked him in the shin, gave him a smile and stuck out his hand to show his acceptance. Harry was correct, he did seem to be growing up and that made Draco happy. He had been worried about how he would be accepted after his release from Azkaban, but if Harry’s friends and family were any idea then he shouldn’t have too many problems.

“You don’t have to say yes if you’d rather not. I won’t be offended.”

“No! That’s not what I was thinking at all. I’m sorry. I would love to go with you, I was just wondering what it meant for us. I know that I’ve tried to pursue you and you’ve made it very clear that you can’t do anything while I’m here, but this will be after I’m home. Does this mean you’re asking me on a date?” Draco asked with a shy smile.

Quickly looking down at his hands as his cheeks flushed at the question, Harry decided that it was time to be the brave Gryffindor again and replied, “I would like you to spend Christmas evening with me and be my date for the wedding if you would like to.”

The smile on Draco’s face could have lit the entire room with its brilliance. This made him so happy and it also meant that he didn’t have to worry about convincing Harry that he really wanted to date him. Quickly moving to Harry, he threw his arms around him and gave him a tight hug and pressed a sweet kiss to Harry’s lips before moving back to his seat. “I’m sorry, couldn’t help myself. I promise not to do anything like that until after this weekend when I am no longer a patient of The Phoenix House. It’s more difficult that I really expected to keep my lips to myself, so I’m happy that it’s already Thursday.”

“Me too! I’m shocked to say this, but I’m really looking forward to the trip this weekend. I want to take you to my friend’s new shop. I think you’ll love it. They are the ones who make the chocolate that your mother has been sending us.”

Draco’s eyes darted quickly to Harry’s face and he practically started drooling, “Really? They have a shop in Paris too? I thought they just opened in Diagon Alley.”

“They have been there for a while, but there was a store they were able to appropriate from one of their Muggle family businesses that was very close to the Quarter in Paris and they just renovated it to work for Muggles and Wizarding clientele. The front of the store is their regular stock and all of the magical sweets are stocked in a room in the upstairs of the shop that was formerly used as a residence for the shopkeeper. They are only open by appointment until after the beginning of the year, but they love your mother and since I’m an investor, I have a standing invitation to drop by anytime they are there. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with the place. They were hoping to get the store opened before Christmas, but there were just too many things they needed to do to have it ready for Muggles. Wouldn’t want someone to accidently see one of those bubbly champagne flutes and wonder how they did it.  It would be much too difficult to explain away.”

“Very true. Those truffles are outstanding. I think my favorites so far are the hot fudge brownie ones though. I don’t know how they get the sweets hot on the inside without melting the chocolate, but they are addictive. Do you think they will have anything new?”

“Oh yeah. They love to do things up at the holidays. I think they mentioned several Christmas themed sweets and they are working on small edible statues. Jean-Daniel mentioned one that was a Christmas tree with fairy lights and another that’s a house elf who actually runs around and clears up the wrappers from sweets you’ve already eaten. They sound brilliant! I can’t wait to see them.”

“That does sound intriguing. How do they work, is there a spell that animates them or is it like a chocolate frog and the package opening animates them?”

“I’m really not sure. You can always ask when we get there tomorrow night. That’s the first place we’re going when we get to Paris.”

“Wonderful! I’ll be set for chocolate for the weekend then. You do realize that you and Mother have been spoiling me with all the bloody chocolates. I’m surprised I don’t look like a beached whale or a spotty teenager,” he chuckled.

Joining in on the laughter, Harry added, “Don’t you remember what Fleur told you? Veela require sweets. It’s one of the things that help with your speedy metabolism. It’s sort of like a hummingbird and the sugar water they like to drink.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. So I’m not going to bloat up like a balloon. That’s wonderful. Then I really must see more of this store so that I can see if I want to change the order Mother has for me,” he said with a satisfied smile.

Harry laughed before adding, “I’m sure that you will love everything they have. Even their Muggle chocolates are amazing. I’ve been told that Jean-Daniel has something for me to try when we get there. I have a feeling that he’s done something with treacle tart since he knows it’s my favorite. That could spell trouble for me. I don’t have your constitution and I don’t get to be all that active like I was in school so I will end up looking like Slughorn.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that! I can’t have you on my arm if you’re looking like that. We will just have to come up with a proper exercise regimen for you to follow,” Draco said with a wicked grin and a wink that made things tighten low in Harry’s belly. Then he noticed a look he hadn’t seen in weeks, insecurity. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, um… Would you come with me to get my new wand?”

Harry was surprised. This was a very personal trip that he was expecting Narcissa to go with him for. “I’d love to Draco. I’m surprised that you would want me to come with you for that, but I’m honored that you asked me.”

Smiling shyly at Harry, Draco let him know how happy he was about his acceptance. “Thanks so much Harry! I would normally ask Mother to go with me, but it just felt right to ask you instead.”

Smiling brilliantly back, Harry pulled Draco into a quick tight hug to let him know how happy this made him. “If someone had told me six months ago that I was going to be looking forward to a shopping trip with Draco Malfoy including clothing, sweets and wands I would have told them that they were crazy, but I actually couldn’t be happier. Can I ask another question?”

“Sure, do we need to sit for this?” Draco asked with a soft expression on his face showing his contentment at still being in Harry’s arms. He led them to the comfy sofa near the fire and then gave Harry his complete attention. He had a feeling that this was going to be an important conversation and wanted to give it the proper consideration.

Taking a deep breath to try and gain his confidence, Harry started speaking and hoped desperately that he didn’t sound as stupid as he felt, “Draco, I’ve come to care for you a great deal while you’ve been here these last weeks. I love the new friendship we’ve managed to build and I know that you flirt with me and I flirt back, but I was wondering what this really is for you? Is it just a quick distraction or is it something more?” Seeing the shock on Draco’s face at his candor, Harry added, “I normally wouldn’t be this direct, but I don’t want either of us to be hurt if we’re going into the situation with the wrong expectations.”

Well, that was certainly unexpected. This was the last thing that Draco was prepared for Harry to ask him. He knew that he was in love with him, but how did Harry feel about him? He said that he cared for him but also mentioned their friendship. Did he only want to be friends and casual dates or did he want a relationship? He could tell from the calm expression on his face that Harry was giving him time to collect his thoughts and that was certainly appreciated because Draco didn’t know how to tell him that he was in love with him without scaring him to death and running the other way. That was not the reaction he wanted, but he did want to be honest with Harry. If they were going to end up dating seriously, he didn’t want to start things off with lies so he told him the truth.

“Thank you for letting me put my thoughts into order. I don’t want this to come out the wrong way and I also want to thank you for your honesty in wanting to start this off with truths instead of insecurity. I want that too. I hope that my answer is what you’re hoping to hear and also that it doesn’t scare you away,” Draco said quietly with his head bowed.

Draco gasped when he felt a warm hand at his chin tilting his face so that Harry could look at his eyes and told him, “You’re welcome and I can honestly say that nothing you say will scare me away Draco. I only wanted to know where we stand.” Harry smiled encouragingly and leaned in for a soft, quick kiss before letting Draco go back to his answer.

“You have a talent for saying exactly what I need to hear at exactly when I need to hear it. Thank you. Now, back to your question. I want you to know that I have had feelings for you for years now, Harry. I told Mother when she came over the day after I arrived here that this was something I realized while in Azkaban. I hadn’t really had time to consider our volatile relationship while we were in school, but when I had the time, I came to understand that I was really jealous of you and your close relationships with Hermione and Ron as well as hurt that you refused my offer of friendship when we were eleven. I fancied you like crazy back then and after getting to know you better over this past month I know now that I’m falling in love with you. You wanted to know where you stand and if I had my choice, it would be right beside me. What about you, Harry? Where do you see this going? Is it just a quick fling and then moving on to something or someone else?”

Pulled out of his shock by Draco’s last question, Harry launched himself at the beautiful man sitting beside him and covered his face in kisses. Pulling back from the stunned Veela, Harry gave his own answer, “I’ve fancied the pants off of you since we were back at Hogwarts. I tried my damnedest to keep you from going to Azkaban and when you did and your mother started keeping company with me I asked her each time I saw her about you. Since I’ve gotten to know the real Draco Malfoy, I have come to realize how wonderful a man you are in addition to the gorgeous exterior you show everyone. If you would let me, I would keep you around as much as possible. Does that answer your question?”

Draco melted into Harry’s arms and gave a quick laugh then promptly burst into tears. Harry was horrified that he screwed up again. “Draco?” He asked franticly, “What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to make you cry! Shite! What can I do to make it better? Please let me know what’s the matter!”

Draco finally managed to sniffle once and then stop Harry’s frenzied questions with a soft kiss. “I’m sorry if I scared you. These are happy tears, Harry. I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me. I was so worried that you were thinking that this was something casual or temporary but I suppose I should have known better. Mother was the one to encourage me to go after you and she’s never wrong.”

“Wait. Narcissa told you to pursue me?” Draco nodded and looked confused when Harry let out a quick snort of laughter. “She told me the first day she came to visit you that I had her permission to court you. I think we owe her a very nice Christmas gift.”

Laughing and snuggling closer to Harry’s chest, Draco concurred and then reluctantly pulled back to look at his favorite Gryffindor’s emerald eyes before saying, “We shouldn’t be doing this right now. As much as I would love to sit here in your arms for the rest of the evening, I’m sure that we will have company soon if we aren’t moving off to supper now. Unless you don’t mind…”

“No, you’re right. I need to go make sure that Teddy is eating and you need to eat something as well. Tomorrow you’re going to be discharged and then we’re leaving for Paris as soon as Pansy and Ron pick up Teddy. It’s going to be crazy for the next few weeks. Are you sure you’re up to it?” Harry pulled Draco close once more and quickly kissed the crown of his head before pulling back to watch the face he had grown to adore so much.

Slowly standing and holding out a hand to help Harry stand, Draco finally replied, “I’m up for anything if I’ve got you by my side.”

Unable to stop the goofy grin from filling his face, Harry leaned in to steal a quick kiss before dragging Draco off to the kitchen and the sounds of Teddy giggling like a little crazy person. Just to keep up appearances for the last night Draco was officially a resident of The Phoenix House, they dropped hands and walked in to see what had Teddy so tickled. This turned to be literally what was happening as Lavender was laughing while she tickled the little boy and tried to get something back from him. “What’s he got this time Lav?”

Quickly looking up and stopping the tickle-torture for a moment, Lavender laughed and told Harry that his little monkey had stolen her keys since he didn’t want her to leave tonight. Giving his godson “a look” and telling him to please return her keys, Teddy pouted but did give her keys back. “Teddy, why didn’t you want Lav to leave? You know that you’ll see her in the morning.”

“I know, but she’s going out with him again and I don’t want her to but she won’t listen to me. Uncle Harry, he was mean to me and I know that he’s gonna be mean to her too!”

Walking over to scoop Teddy up into his arms, he looked into his godson’s eyes and asked seriously, “Why do you say that and what do you mean that Justin was mean to you?” He shot his assistant a quick look so that she would make sure to listen to the boy’s concerns.

Sheepishly trying to hide his face in Harry’s shirt, Teddy mumbled something but no one could understand him so he pulled his little face away and asked him to repeat what he said. Face red, Teddy finally answered, “He told me I was a mangy little mutt and told me to get lost when I tried to talk to him when he was here last time. Uncle Harry, if he said that to me then what does he really think of Lav? I love her and I don’t want her to be sad if he’s mean to her like he was to me. ‘Specially since she’s like me!”

Lavender looked as if someone had slapped her. The fact that the person she was dating had said something like that to a child was bad enough, but if he really felt that way why in Merlin’s name was he dating her? “Teddy, please be honest with me okay?” Seeing the little boy nod, she continued, “Has he said anything else to you? I didn’t know he was being mean to you or I would never have brought him here, I promise!”

Squirming out of Harry’s grasp, Teddy ran over to his friend and grabbed her legs and hugged for all he was worth. “I know you wouldn’t have! That’s why I didn’t say anything before. He hasn’t really been mean before that, but he wasn’t real nice either. I’m sorry, Lav. I promise I didn’t do anything to make him say that stuff! I just want you to be happy.”

Leaning down to pick up the sad little cub, Lavender pulled Teddy close and told him that she knew that he didn’t do anything and that she was going to have a long talk with her boyfriend to find out what made him say such a mean thing to Teddy. She gave him one last kiss and then hugged Harry and Draco quickly before leaving. Both men noticed the haunted look and bright sheen of unshed tears in her eyes.

“Thank you for telling us about this Teddy,” Draco said before quickly grabbing him into a tight hug. “It was very brave of you to stand up for your friend like that, but you must remember to tell someone if somebody treats you like that. Especially here, you shouldn’t have to listen to small-minded people spouting hate. You are a brilliant little man and lots of people adore you. Don’t you forget that, okay?”

Teddy looked at Harry who was nodding along with what Draco was saying before giving Draco one of those looks that showed someone well past his years in the eyes of this tiny boy. “I promise. And I think you’re great too Draco! Are you sure that you have to leave tomorrow? I don’t want you to go away!”

“I have to go home, Teddy Bear, but I promise to come and see you every time I’m here and I’ll come to visit you at least a couple of times a week. Is that okay?”

Clinging to Draco’s neck and sniffling his displeasure, Teddy nodded. “Promise you won’t forget me?”

Holding Teddy far enough away so that he could look directly into his eyes, Draco gave him a serious look and said, “There’s no way I could forget you. Besides you’re my cousin. I’ll be over with Mother all the time so we can see each other and if it’s okay with Uncle Harry, you can come visit me sometimes too. Would you like that?”

“Yes please! Then you can show me your dragons!”

Things settled down and everyone sat down to eat. Teddy was excited about staying with Auntie Pansy and Uncle Ron for the weekend and then seeing all of the Weasleys and presents. By the end of supper, he had worn himself out. Draco offered to take him up to give him his bath and get ready for bed since he wouldn’t see him until next week so Harry took him up on his offer and went to make a quick fire-call before Draco could get done. He also wanted to check with Pansy and see when they were coming to pick up Teddy tomorrow so he could have him packed for the weekend before they arrived. When Draco made his way back downstairs he found Harry in his office looking over a stack of papers. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Harry was always looking over an endless stack of papers, but these papers happened to be his discharge papers.

“Trying to get rid of me?” Draco asked with a little chuckle.

Looking up, Harry gave him a quick, flirty smile before saying, “No, I don’t want to get rid of you. I want to get this done so that we can spend a wonderful weekend together with no worries.”

Blushing at the implications, Draco moved over to Harry’s desk quickly so that they could get this paperwork out of the way and not have to worry about anything tomorrow other than packing for their trip. He couldn’t wait to talk to his mother and Pansy, but he wasn’t sure if he would get the chance tomorrow. He wanted to ask Pansy’s opinion on his relationship with Harry, but he had a good idea what she was going to say. She was one of the only ones to call him in his shite when they were back in school and she had told him to get over himself and go shag Potter many times, but at that time he still hadn’t admitted to himself that this was more than just Pansy being a bint. He only wondered how long he would have to listen to her “I told you so!”s.  



	7. The Phoenix House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda died soon after the war and Harry took in his godson. Soon Teddy started showing signs of the werewolf traits inherited from his father and Harry decides to open a center for others affected by similar circumstances. The Phoenix House is a center to assist those newly affected by lycanthropy, Veela inheritances and even a lone girl of Elvish descent. On a rainy evening approximately a year after TPH was opened, a knock on the door brings back an old rival and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my friends [](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/profile)[**gypsysueff**](http://gypsysueff.livejournal.com/)and [](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://envy-venis.livejournal.com/) **envy_venis** for all their help and encouragement. I would have never been able to get this done without them. I had loads of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it.

Friday flew by and before they knew it, Harry and Draco were waving goodbye to Teddy, Ron and Pansy and then hopped into the floo to meet Narcissa and Fleur at the Manor. They were planning to take a portkey since Apparating that far would tire them and they wanted to do a few things before turning in for the night. Draco had asked if they would mind terribly if he and Harry slipped away first to get his wand since he felt practically naked without it in a place like the Wizarding Quarter without one. Fleur and Narcissa assured them that they would be fine at the café near the chocolate shop and they made plans to meet there after Draco had gotten his wand. He was determined to see the magical chocolatier tonight and Jean-Daniel had promised they would be there until late getting ready for appointments they had the following day and would be expecting Harry and his group.

They quickly made their way to the wand shop and when the owner found out that Draco was part Veela, he was so excited to have Draco look at a wand he had just completed. It was a rare and volatile combination, but he thought it would work well with Draco’s magic and he was correct. The wand was elder with a Veela hair core. It was explained to them that Veela hair wasn’t often used because it tends to be a little temperamental. When Draco tried it out with a simple Wingardium Leviosa, the box on the counter almost seemed to dance into the air as if trying to impress Draco with its talent. They tried a few more complicated things and everything worked perfectly. He was warned to treat the wand with respect since the Veela hair seemed to make the wand appear to have its own personality and Draco assured that he would make sure to take great care of his new wand and treat it as a part of himself. They left the shop with smiles on their faces at the irony of the new wand. It really did seem to want to impress Draco and he loved it. He and Fleur compared wands and discussed the merits of having a Veela hair-core and what amounted to a sentient wand for at least twenty minutes before Narcissa asked them if they still wanted to go to the chocolatier tonight or if they wanted to wait until tomorrow to go. This shut Draco up quicker than anyone expected and Harry decided to file that information away for future reference.

Luc was their guide through all the new products at The Charmed Chocolatier. Harry introduced everyone and he was starting to worry about losing his new boyfriend to Luc and his chocolate. Draco was fascinated at all the specialty sweets and asked so many questions about how things worked that Luc seemed to love all the attention and when he was able to start showing off his masterpieces, he was even more thrilled. Luc was the genius behind the magical chocolate statues. They were outstanding. There was a Santa Claus who climbed out of the fireplace to put tiny wrapped chocolate gifts under a decorated Yule tree. Another statue was of a nutcracker with a tiny ballerina dancing around him. They were all lovely and so detailed that none of their small group could imagine wanting to eat them. Luc laughed and told them that this was a wonderful compliment but assured them that all the pieces of the sculpture were edible and made of different types of sweets or chocolate. Each person ended up with large bags stuffed with tons of goodies for themselves, gifts and things for Teddy. Harry was not looking forward to having to convince his little monkey that he couldn’t eat everything at once. That would be a nightmare for anyone in the same house as the sugar-frenzied three-year-old.

The remainder of the weekend was spent shopping and laughing and getting to know each other better. Draco and Fleur found that they had a great many things in common other than sharing Veela blood. He and Harry spent more time together talking and stealing kisses but they had both agreed to take things slowly and were enjoying the camaraderie and closeness. Narcissa had been thrilled when the boys told her they had decided to follow her advice and pursue a relationship and they feared they would one day walk in on her planning their wedding before one of them had time to propose. She had also invited Harry and Teddy to spend Christmas Eve and morning with them at the Manor and Harry had agreed. He knew that Teddy would love visiting and he wasn’t ready to lose Draco’s company, even if it was only for one night. Their shopping trip was a great success and after Harry and Fleur returned from a mad dash for one last forgotten gift they all grabbed the portkey and were back in the Manor by ten on Monday morning. Harry excused himself quickly to go pick up Teddy and make arrangements to have all of his gifts brought to the Manor so that he would be able to open them on Christmas morning.

Draco had decided to stay at the Manor and have a nap while Harry ran his errands. Harry was very happy for this fact because it gave him the chance to check on his gifts for both of the Malfoys he adored. He popped into The Phoenix House just long enough to grab a small bag of clothes and toiletries for his stay at the Manor and also his and Teddy’s things for The Burrow and the wedding. He quickly apparated to Ron and Pansy’s flat to pick up Teddy so that they could get to the Burrow for the family’s Christmas Eve lunch. He was really looking forward to being able to spend so much time with Draco and he knew that Teddy would be delighted at spending time with him and Auntie Cissy also.

When Harry told Pansy and Ron where he would be spending the day Ron gave him a wink and silly grin while Pansy raised an eyebrow at him and asked if Draco had finally worked up the nerve to ask him out and when Harry blushed and nodded she snorted and said, “It’s about damn time!” She then gave him and Teddy both tight hugs and whispered in his ear that she expected explicit details the next time they went to lunch to which Ron stated that he never wanted explicit details about anything involving Malfoy naked or anything having to do with sex in general. He promised to do exactly what they asked and told them that they would be at Malfoy Manor if anyone needed them and that they would see everyone tomorrow for lunch at The Burrow. He also mentioned that he’d had Dipsy take all of their gifts earlier and that he would be bringing Draco with him. After a few more rounds of teasing comments from his friends, he and Teddy finally made their way back to Malfoy Manor.

Teddy was in awe of the huge mansion that Auntie Cissy and Cousin Draco lived in and made Harry promise that he would get a tour of the grounds as soon as possible. Harry told him that he would have to talk with his hosts about this but said that he was sure they wouldn’t have a problem with it. Walking up the lovely path to the door, Harry pointed out the white peacocks wandering around the lawn. Teddy was of course fascinated by the birds and wanted to go chase after them, but Harry told him how the birds were not the friendly type and would probably peck the small boy. This dissuaded him of his planned attack quickly. They finally made it to the door and before they could even ring the bell, a small house-elf opened the door and ushered them into the sitting room where Narcissa and Draco had decided to laze after their tiring trip. Teddy was welcomed with hugs and kisses and was promised a tour just after they finished lunch which was being served in about ten minutes. Draco offered to show them the Christmas tree and Teddy enthusiastically agreed. Draco led them down several marble hallways and then opened the door to what looked like a small ballroom where a huge tree covered in fairy lights and twinkling crystal ornaments dominated the entire back wall. The tree was beautiful and Harry had to warn his godson that there would be dire repercussions of any damage inflicted to it. The floor beneath the tree was filled with brightly wrapped packages of all shapes and sizes and he knew without a doubt that he would be sending a large number of them home because most of them appeared to be for Teddy.

The trio moved on to the dining room to meet Narcissa for lunch which was just being served as they walked in. Lunch was light and the adults managed to convince Teddy to have a nap so that they could get one as well. They planned to meet up in two hours to take Teddy on his tour. Draco offered to show them to the rooms that had been prepared for them since they were very close to his own suite. The rooms were very bright and Teddy loved all the dragons that Draco had put in here for him. When Harry told him to thank Draco, he was told that these were only the dragons that Narcissa already had for him but hadn’t given yet. Harry laughed at the look of wonder on his godson’s face at his new dragons with even more awe now that he knew they were his to keep. Draco also told him that they would be here permanently as long as he liked the room because this room had been set up specifically for him so that he would always have a room when he came to visit. Teddy loved this idea and ran to hug Draco and thank him for his beautiful new room. He liked that Uncle Harry and Cousin Draco were on either side of him also. That way he could wake them both up in the morning if he was spending the night. Draco had briefly shown the little boy his own room and Harry’s as well, but they told him they would be in Draco’s sitting room when Teddy woke up so that they could go on their tour of the house and grounds. Teddy nodded sleepily and after he’d been tucked in and kissed by both men, he was quickly asleep.

Draco took Harry’s hand in his own and led him back to his room next door and requested tea and biscuits from a house-elf and they sat down in the fluffy sofa in front of a roaring fire. Harry thought that he could easily get used to this when Draco leaned into him to be cuddled. It was better than anything he had ever dreamed of and there were many dreams of Draco in his arms. This had become a habit for the two men over their time at The Phoenix House and also on their Paris trip. They both loved to cuddle and talk in front of a fire, usually falling asleep and picking up where they had left off when they woke up again. It was something they had both craved, but didn’t realize it until they had started doing this while watching movies and talking until late in the night to get to know each other. By this point, they knew quite a lot about each other and even some of the more difficult things had come up such as their childhoods and the time they had spent at school. Harry had even taken to asking about Snape on occasion. He meant what he had said to Draco about his regrets regarding Snape and enjoyed hearing about the other side of the Potion’s Master that he had never seen.

Approximately an hour later, Teddy sneaked into Draco’s room and ran to pounce on the pair sleeping in each other’s arms on the sofa. Harry explained to Draco the rules of this game and afterward, both of them started tickling the squealing little boy until he was begging them to stop. Narcissa found them shortly after following the sounds of laughter to her son’s bedroom. She stood in the doorway watching her three favorite boys playing for a few minutes before announcing that it was time for Teddy’s tour. The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering the grounds and showing Teddy and Harry around the Manor. Dinner was a pleasant affair as well. The four enjoyed a lovely meal followed by the most beautiful, and delicious Christmas cake that Harry had ever eaten. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and knew that he wanted to have this always. He loved Narcissa and had for years now. She had taken care of him and Teddy from the moment they came back into contact with each other and he already was considered family. Draco was something new to him, but this beautiful new relationship was something that Harry had dreamt of for many years and to have it finally a reality made Harry happier than he ever imagined he could be. He was looking forward to tomorrow morning. He had gotten very special gifts for both of his hosts and he hoped they would adore them as much as he did.

Draco was having surprisingly similar thoughts as he and Harry shuffled Teddy off to his bath and bed so that he would be well rested for Christmas morning and opening all of his many gifts. The little boy was worn out from the long walks around the grounds and the Manor so he didn’t put up much of a fight at all. Draco was reflecting over the events of the day and those of the last month as well. He was surprised how easily things had fallen into place for him and Harry after his arrival at The Phoenix House, but he supposed that Harry wouldn’t be Harry if he didn’t give people the benefit of the doubt and forgiveness if it was asked for. Regardless of how horrible he’d been to him in the past, his handsome Gryffindor had forgiven him, helped him through a very difficult transition into a new form and a new life. He was also seeing him through into a new love and this was what amazed Draco the most. The object of his affections had been yearning for him just as long if not longer than he had. How had he gotten so lucky? He was asking himself this question quite often lately and still hadn’t figured out the answer, but he wasn’t going to tempt fate. He was going to follow his heart and his heart was telling him to enjoy what he had been given and he intended to do just that. He was expecting tomorrow to be the best Christmas of his life. He had never really had the freedom to enjoy things as Teddy did and he couldn’t wait to see the joy on his small cousin’s face. He was going to spend the day and the following with both Harry and Teddy as a couple and around people who loved him and Harry as family and he was so anxious to be able to show off that his mate was the most beautiful man there was.

They spent the evening as they had so many in the past, cuddled together and talking deep into the night. It felt so right to have this intimacy between them. Harry couldn’t imagine anything feeling better to him than having Draco in his arms. Draco felt safer and happier than he ever had in the arms of the man he loved. They both reluctantly parted so they could get a little sleep before being pulled out of bed to open presents at dawn’s first light. Draco walked Harry to his room just to spend the extra few seconds with him and when they reached his door, Harry turned to Draco smiling and let him know how much he was looking forward to spending the holiday and the wedding day with him. The silver light in Draco’s eyes was shining with happiness and he leaned in for a goodnight kiss. Their lips touched and they felt the little shock of attraction that was present with each touch. The kiss was soft and tender and expressed the growing feelings both were experiencing. With a flushed face and sad eyes, Harry pulled back and let him know that if they didn’t stop now that Harry was going to drag Draco into his room and they would be cuddling and kissing all night. Draco laughed and told Harry that he was failing horribly if he was honestly trying to get Draco to return to his own room, but conceded that they really should rest a little before Teddy woke them up again since tomorrow would be yet another long day.

**~H/D~**

Teddy made his rounds of alarm clock starting with Harry at five-thirty, moved on to Draco and then by six he had dragged both sleepy men to Narcissa who seemed to already be awake and waiting on her boys to come and get her. Everyone walked down to the dining room for a beautiful breakfast with scones and clotted cream, pastries, eggs, bacon, sausages, fried potatoes and tomatoes and juice for all. By the time they had made a dent in the mountain of food the elves had prepared for Christmas breakfast, all four sitting at the table were now awake and ready to go open presents. Narcissa brought out a camera for loads of pictures of Teddy opening all of his gifts and told Harry that he was to take it with him and take as many pictures as he wanted while at the Burrow and the wedding. This encouraged everyone to come up with fun and silly pictures to take before finally sitting down to open gifts. The house-elves had gone through the stacks and stacks of presents and separated them into four piles. Each person found their pile of gifts and moved to that chair. As everyone had known, Teddy’s stack of gifts was easily twice the number as all three others put together. His eyes were huge as he took in all of the beautifully wrapped presents and then looked to Harry, asking for permission to start opening them. Harry told him to go ahead and start while the adults sat laughing over the enthusiasm the tiny whirlwind had for ripping paper off boxes to see what treasure was held inside. All of them had taken turns snapping shots of Teddy quickly making his way through clothes, sweets, toys and of course, dragons.

Finally the adults started opening gifts as well. They opened the ones from those not there first and then made their way through to the packages from those at hand. Harry and Draco encouraged Narcissa to open the large package from them last. She found beautiful jewelry and clothing in some of the boxes and she was thrilled to see a box of champagne truffles from each of her three favorite boys. When she finally got to the enormous gift from Harry and Draco, they both grew quiet to watch her reaction. The box itself was covered in silver and gold paper with an enormous pearly white ribbon around it and when it was pulled to remove the bow, the box fell open to reveal one of Luc’s masterpieces. Narcissa gasped at what was immediately recognized as a replica of Malfoy Manor. The windows were charmed to show things like the Christmas tree shining out of one. There were even small white peacocks wandering around the front lawn. “Harry, Draco… I don’t know what to say. This is the most amazing gift I have ever seen. How did Luc get this so perfectly correct? He’s never been here.”

“That would be my doing Mother. I gave Harry several pictures of the Manor and he contacted Luc to see if he would be able to get this done for you in time and he said the pictures were so detailed that he would be able to get it done in no time. We wanted to thank you for all of the things you’ve done for us both separately and also as a couple. Your love and encouragement means the world to us.” Almost before he could finish what he was saying, Narcissa was rushing over to pull her boys into tight hugs and quickly moved over to give Teddy a squeeze as well.

“This is amazing and I love all three of you more than I can say for even wanting to do something like this. How could I possibly eat this? I want to keep it around!”

Harry spoke up then, “Luc includes several photos with each of his statues so that you won’t have to worry about eating it. There should be four photos in the box, one from each side of the statue. He also said that you can keep the statue as a statue, but it will start to deteriorate just like normal spells wearing off after some time and the sweets and biscuits used to create the statue will do the same.”

They all fussed over the amazing statue before Narcissa insisted that the others open their gifts now. Teddy still had several in front of him that were unopened and Draco and Harry both only had a few they had opened so far due to watching Teddy and Narcissa. Draco insisted that Harry go next and said he had a surprise for him when he was done. Harry found more clothing and sweets in his packages and a lovely hand-crafted leather journal for his nightstand as Draco knew that he kept a dream journal. The cover was buttery soft and had the likeness of fully extended Veela wings. Harry made rounds of hugs and kisses for his gifts and then looked to Draco for the last surprise he had mentioned. Draco’s flushed face and shy smile made him wonder if the surprise may not be better given in private until Draco held out a tall, thin box that he had retrieved from beside his chair. Harry moved to the floor just beside Draco’s chair and put the box back onto the floor to make opening it easier. When the paper was removed and once he saw what was inside, Harry was struck speechless. Sitting before him was a perfect replica of Fawkes and his perch that was always sitting beside the staircase in Dumbledore’s office. Harry sat for several minutes staring at the perfect replica of his mentor’s familiar and soon tears were streaming down his face. Teddy rushed over startled to see his godfather crying and asked quietly, “Uncle Harry, why are you sad because of the bird?”

Harry chuckled at the question and gave his little monkey a tight hug before replying, “I’m not sad, not really. This just makes me miss someone I was very close to. This is Fawkes. He’s the phoenix that The Phoenix House got its name from. He belonged to Professor Dumbledore and was his familiar. Do you remember me telling you stories about them?” The little boy nodded and hugged Harry again just to make sure he was okay. “Draco, where did you get this? It’s perfect! Thank you so much for this.” He leaned in for a sweet kiss from his boyfriend.

“I’m so happy that you like it, I was really worried about giving him to you. I know how important both Dumbledore and Fawkes were to you so when Mother mentioned a new shop that made likenesses of familiars or beloved pets that had died, I knew that I had to get this for you. I was very lucky that the proprietor of the shop went to Hogwarts and was quite familiar with Dumbledore’s office so he was able to have the model completed in no time. I wanted to make sure that The Phoenix House had its very own phoenix. I liked the idea of having a real phoenix, but I thought this might mean more.”

Harry pulled Draco over so that he was now included in his and Teddy’s hug. “Thank you for being so amazing. I would never have thought of this, but he is perfect. I know just where I want him to go in my office. Now it’s your turn Draco. Open your gifts, but save that one wrapped in the Slytherin striping for last.”

Giving Harry a suspicious look, Draco made sure that he had his presents opened quickly so that he could get to the one that he was most curious about. He made his way through the clothing, books and supplies he would need to complete his final year of school and NEWT preparation now that he had made arrangements with Headmistress McGonagall. Finally ready to open Harry’s gift, Draco gave him a questioning look to which he responded with a small nod and a bright smile. The paper pulled away from a collapsible box like the one on the statue of the Manor so Draco has his suspicions, but when the box was completely opened, he was astounded. The statue Draco saw before him was a gleaming white dragon the size of a cat. It appeared to be sleeping, but seemed to realize that she had an audience and opened one eye to peer at her admirers. With a small yawn that released a puff of smoke, she stood and stretched before fully extending her wings, preening for Draco and Teddy who were both watching her so closely. Harry and Narcissa were watching Draco’s reactions after looking over the lovely dragon when she was unwrapped. “Harry, it’s beautiful! I can’t believe that this is made of chocolate.”

“Actually, this is a real statue. Luc wanted to try his hand at real art that would be able to be preserved the way that food art couldn’t. I mentioned to him what I wanted to get you for your Christmas gift and he jumped at the chance. Her eggs and the trees with sparkles are edible, but the rest is part of the actual statue. Her name is Tanith. It means “serpent lady” and she is a goddess of love, the moon and the stars. I thought you would like her coloring since she’s a pale beauty like you are and what she represents is perfect as well since I love you and would give you the moon and stars if I could.”

A quiet sniffle was heard from Narcissa before Draco burst into tears and ran to Harry to pull him into his arms. Draco put his lips very close to Harry’s ear so that he could whisper to him, “Thank you so much. She is beautiful and what you said means so much to me. For so long, I was terrified that you would never feel the same way about me. I hope that you don’t mind, but I’ve chosen you as my mate and my inner-Veela seems to agree. I hope you don’t mind and that I’m not scaring you away.”

“How could you possibly be scaring me away with making my dreams a reality?”

“Uncle Harry, what’s mate?”

Narcissa gasped loudly before jumping from her chair to pull both men into a bone-crushing hug. “Is this true? Is Harry really your mate? I’m so happy! I’ll have to start planning the wedding soon, but if we start now we should be able to get it ready for July just before your birthday Harry. That way everyone will be home from school and I must get in touch…”

Harry and Draco looked at each other in shock and Draco quickly kissed his mother’s cheek and interrupted her before she could get any farther. “Mother! Please stop and listen for a moment. Harry and I have just started dating, we have both known how we feel about each other, but we need to get to know each other better and more important than that is the fact that neither of us has proposed yet. Can we please wait on the wedding preparations until there is actually an engagement? We promise to let you handle everything since we know how much you love to plan this type of event.”

Narcissa flushed and then nodded saying, “I’m sorry, I know I was jumping to conclusions, but hearing that you are mates mad me so very happy. I knew that you two were meant to be together, that’s why I gave you both little pushes towards the other. This was an even better gift than the Manor likeness.”

Teddy was sitting back on the sofa covered in torn wrapping paper and opened gifts with a confused look on his face. “Does this mean that you and Draco are gonna get married, Uncle Harry? I didn’t know that boys could get married to other boys, but if it means that Draco is gonna be around all the time then I can’t wait!”

The adults laughed at the little boys questions and comments and pulled him into their hug before Harry answered his godson, “Let’s see if I can explain this so you understand, monkey. You know that Draco is a Veela, right? So that means that he’s got what’s called a mate, someone that he’s bonded to forever. Well, I happen to be Draco’s mate so we will be together always and I agree with liking that part. We will eventually get married if that’s what Draco wants to do and yes boys can marry other boys, girls can marry other girls and boys and girls can get married too. It’s a pretty cool thing, huh?”  
Teddy nodded and then gave Harry and Draco another hug then moved over to Narcissa so that he could show her some of the new toys he had gotten. Whispering in Draco’s ear, Harry chuckled, “Looks like we were right about her deciding to plan out our wedding before we actually got engaged. She looked so happy at hearing that I’m your mate. I’m really glad that she is because she’s been so great to me.”

Hugging his mate close to him, Draco said, “I am too. Although I knew that she would love the idea of you and I as a couple. Have you forgotten that she was encouraging it before we had really even done more than make our apologies?” He leaned in for a kiss and then asked when they were expected at the Burrow. They had spent quite a while opening gifts with the small mountain that Teddy had to go through. They were due there by noon and looking at the small clock on the mantle, they saw they had a little over an hour. This should be enough time to get all of the things that needed to go back to The Phoenix House together and sent over as having the things to stay at the Manor sent to their rooms. Teddy enjoyed his task of going through everything again and the task ended up taking much longer than they had expected. If they didn’t hurry, they would be late and although Molly Weasley thought of Harry as another son, this meant that she treated him as one so wouldn’t have a problem kicking his arse for being late. Draco wasn’t happy about leaving his mother alone on Christmas and Harry ended up asking if she would like to join them because he knew Molly would love seeing her again and would probably hex one or both him and Draco if they didn’t invite her. She took them up on the offer and had one of the house-elves grab several lovely bottles of wine from the wine cellar to take to her host.

The four arrived at the Burrow just before noon to a house full of ginger-haired children running around everywhere. This was a normal occurrence when they all got together in one place all at once. Harry grabbed a small child and asked where Grandma Molly was and was pointed towards the kitchen. He really should have known, but he thanked the child and let him go back to his game. Teddy was always a little overwhelmed by the number of children and adults at the Weasley gatherings, so Harry continued to carry him so that he wouldn’t get upset. Molly was very happy to see Narcissa and thanked her profusely for the beautiful wine she’d brought. She kissed all three boys and told them that she was proud of them asking Narcissa without having to be told. They both felt as if they were back at Hogwarts and had just been given points for a job well-done.

The entire day was spent with friends and family talking, eating, pranking and opening more gifts. Draco was surprised at how welcoming everyone was to him, but it made him happy that Harry’s adoptive family accepted his relationship with him and that they were so excited to see Harry happy. He wished that he had given this enormous family more credit before and not listened to the ridiculous shite spouted by his father. Every single one of these people had welcomed him here today even though he had been a complete arse to them all at one point or another and they just forgot about all of that and welcomed him with open arms since he quite obviously adored their Harry. It warmed his heart to know that his love would always have the loyalty and love of the Weasley clan. It was a wonderful thing to see all of them so happy even with such simple surroundings. He laughed loudly when he opened a gift and found one of Molly’s signature wooly jumpers. It was thick and soft in Slytherin green with his initial D in Gryffindor gold. As a child, he would have been horrified, but now he was honored to be included in this tradition. He smiled brilliantly and gave Molly a huge hug and thank you for not only accepting him as she had, but also for including him in their family’s celebration.

As the day drew to an end, Narcissa excused herself back to the Manor and flooed back after wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and again thanking Molly and Arthur for their hospitality. She also made sure to give Ginny well wishes for her wedding the following day. Draco and Harry had been noticing Teddy’s tired face and huge yawns for the last ten minutes and excused themselves for the night as well. Molly told Harry that they were all set up in Charlie’s room since he was single and didn’t need the room for more than him so he was relegated to the couch. They put Teddy to bed after a quick bath and he was soon snoring softly leaving Harry and Draco alone together in the small room with only one bed. It wouldn’t be the first time they had slept together, but it also wasn’t such a common thing that they were taking it for granted. Harry was happy to be able to hold Draco close to him in the small bed and Draco didn’t even complain because he was in the arms of the man he loved and they had shared a wonderful Christmas together. He hoped that it would be the first of many to come. They each fell asleep quickly, but only after sharing sweet, soft kisses full of the promise for their future and the love they had so recently shared with each other.

The wedding turned out to be a traumatic little drama for Harry and Draco. Ginny had been fine with Draco coming until she had found out that Harry was the Veela’s mate and not just his friend coming as date for the wedding. When she had found out, she started a screaming tirade of how Harry was so thoughtless and inconsiderate to bring his new “boy-toy” to her wedding. She also started in again on how Harry couldn’t possible insist that he was gay when they had been together for “So long,” even though they really hadn’t been together more than a few months all together. Harry was furious but refused to ruin her wedding even if she was being a right bitch, so he and Draco left even though everyone save the bride asked them to stay. They thought it best yet Narcissa decided to stay. She apparently had a very long conversation with the bride and Harry even received an owl with an apology note attached before they left on their honeymoon.

**~H/D~**

February 2002

Harry couldn’t believe how well things were going between him and Draco. Ever since Christmas, they had been spending as much time as possible together. They were spending almost every evening together and the majority of the weekends as well. The Phoenix House was flourishing as it had since its opening and Draco was working his way through his missed final year at Hogwarts and was planning to take his NEWTs in June along with the current students. He was being quite ambitious concerning how long he had been away from schooling but he intended to take NEWTs for all of the classes he had been taking during sixth year. That meant that he would be sitting for Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes. Since he was doing his classes by correspondence with Headmistress McGonagall, he was setting his own pace and as long as all the work was completed by its due dates then he was given full credit. Draco found this to be a wonderful system and had set himself a very strict and rigorous schedule. He was working on seven subjects, so he worked on each subject one day per week. Normally he set aside two to three hours per day for his class work or practicals and worked for at least one to three more hours on assignments or revising for tests and NEWT preparation. Harry was helping him in DADA and Charm which had been his best subjects and he was actually able to help a bit with Transfiguration and Potions. Draco thought he’d been joking when Harry mentioned it to him, but was surprised to hear that Harry had ended up with an O on his NEWT for Potions. He wasn’t as surprised when he found out how he’d learned things so quickly when he’d found out about Snape’s book.

They were enjoying spending social time together and Draco was finding that he enjoyed studying with Harry much more enjoyable than he would have expected. It was nice to not be working alone on all of his subjects and seeing how talented his boyfriend was at so many things was very attractive as well. They had agreed to limit the physical side of their relationship for now. They knew how much stress Draco would be under with all of the changes he was going through with the Veela blood, returning for his education and now being home again so things were moving slowly. It was getting more and more difficult to hold back though. Each kiss, each touch made both men want to pounce, but for now things were working. Draco was hoping to make that change this weekend though. He was having his suite remodeled and planned to ask Harry’s opinion on the matter and was then going to ask if he could spend the weekend with Harry. It had already been planned that Narcissa would be babysitting for Teddy and Draco was hoping to convince Harry that it was finally time to move a bit farther in their relationship. He was extremely tired of cold showers and wanking alone in his room.

 Harry was having very similar feelings about their self-imposed celibacy and planned to talk with Draco about it this weekend. Another thing that had them holding off on things had been the fact that the they knew that the Mate bond would be activated between them once they consummated their relationship. Neither was sure if they were ready for this or not. Harry had discussed the situation with Fleur and asked about the things that would change after the bond was present and found out that it really wasn’t much that would cause complication. Most of the effects would be more like sympathetic magic where they would be able to sense each other and know if one of them was in trouble. The only thing that was worrying Harry was the required touching. He knew that Veela were very tactile, but was a little concerned as to how this would work once they had completed the bond. Fleur had assured him that this wouldn’t be a problem either. Yes they would crave each other’s touch, but if they had to be away from each other for work or school it wouldn’t cause issues for them. They would just need to make sure that they set aside time when they were back together to reconnect and enjoy being in the presence of their mate. She and Bill had this experience when they were first married while he was still working as a curse-breaker for Gringotts. It wasn’t pleasant but it was manageable. This made Harry very relieved. He didn’t want to cause Draco any discomfort if it wasn’t necessary and knowing that they could be away from each other indefinitely put his mind at ease. Draco would be studying for his NEWTs and then he was thinking of applying for an apprenticeship with a Potions Master. That wouldn’t have been possible if they would have to be close to each other the majority of the time. This news made Harry’s Valentine’s plans more interesting. He knew that Draco was working with a very difficult potion this week and Thursday was his Potions work day. They had talked about moving his Potions work to another day, but Harry had suggested that he do what was needed with the Potion on Thursday and then they could make a weekend out of Valentine’s Day. Draco was way ahead on Charms, Herbology and Arithmancy which were his classes for Friday through Sunday so it wouldn’t cause problems with his studies if he missed one day on them. Harry was very excited about this because he had a big surprise for his love this weekend. If only Narcissa could keep it to herself for just another day.

The next morning, Harry was woken up by an excited little monkey in dragon pajamas at six in the morning. To say he wasn’t too happy was an understatement, but he knew that Teddy was looking forward to his weekend with Aunt Cissy at the Manor. He and Draco were having a romantic dinner tonight at their favorite restaurant and then spending the night together at the Manor. He couldn’t wait. Harry had always been a romantic, but there was never really anyone that he wanted to be romantic for. Draco was different and he had everything planned out, he only hoped things went as planned. Giving Teddy one final tickle before dragging him back to his room to get dressed, they ran down for a quick breakfast and then got ready for their day. He had several small gifts for Teddy, but planned to wait until they got to the Manor to give them to him. He and Narcissa had set up a little party for Teddy and several of his friends and a few Weasley children as well. They would be exchanging cards, eating cake and playing party games. He knew that Teddy would enjoy it if it was anything like his birthday party. Narcissa had talked with Molly and they had arranged a huge party with all of the Weasley grandchildren as well as a few of the younger clients of The Phoenix House that Teddy was friends with. He was utterly shocked and after he got over his initial shyness ended up having a marvelous time. That’s what they were hoping for today as well. Narcissa loved seeing Teddy happy and knowing that she could do something to make him this way made her happy too. Since he and his godson had started spending so much time with Narcissa and Draco, her health seemed to be improving and she was always smiling. It was such an improvement over the sad woman he’d known for three years who tried her best to make everyone think she was doing well when she was really mourning her losses.

Draco came downstairs when he heard the beautiful sound of laughter from his favorite four-year-old. When he’d made his way down to the dining room, he found his mother, Harry and Teddy eating a light lunch and laughing over something she was holding. He thought that he heard something singing, but couldn’t be sure until he got to the table and saw what she was holding. Narcissa was holding what looked like a dozen multicolored roses and each one was singing to her. “Wow, those are very talented flowers Mother. Wherever did you get them? Draco asked giving his mother a kiss on the cheek and moving to do the same for Harry and Teddy.

“Aren’t they adorable? Teddy got them for me from his Uncle George’s store. That boy is very talented and creative. Thank goodness Harry made sure to check them out before buying them. There are apparently two versions and the other sings obscene songs while doing some obscene dancing. Can you imagine?”

Laughing loudly, Draco nodded, “Yes Mother, I can. Remember that the twins were at Hogwarts when Harry and I were and they had already started making things on their own before even having the shop when we were in third year and they were in fourth. They were brilliant! I know Molly didn’t appreciate it then, but they did so much better with opening the shop than they ever would have if they’d tried to get some boring Ministry job like she’d hoped for them.”

“Very true,” Harry added. George and Angelina just opened their fifth shop and they have plans for tons of new merchandise. A few of the things they worked on when Fred was alive even made it into security trades and I know that the Auror Corp uses a few of their shielding products and Extendable Ears.”

“Five stores, really? I didn’t realize they had spread out that much. I’m so glad to see him doing better now. I know he was crushed after Fred was killed in the war, but he’s made such a name for himself and has dedicated everything to his twin. He and his wife donate quite a bit to The Phoenix House, don’t they? For research on the lycanthropy virus?”

“Yes, he and Angelina wanted to try and make things better for people like Bill and Teddy and all of the others who are affected by such a debilitating disease. We are actually raising enough to start trying to promote better werewolf-friendly legislation with the Ministry. Things like promoting more tolerance and job programs to help keep those who are upstanding witches and wizards living well instead of having to do what Remus had to do and go from one low paying job to another. So many young witches and wizards would have benefitted from having him at Hogwarts for longer than he was but there was so much prejudice from the parents once they found out what he was that he ended up resigning before he could even finish out the year.”

Nodding, Narcissa said, “Yes, I remember that. Severus told the Slytherin House about it and of course they sent home owls immediately. Not knowing any different, I was one of the ones who sent a letter telling off Dumbledore for having someone like that in the school. I wish I’d known then what I do now and I would have attempted to smooth over the situation. Now enough with the seriousness! I believe that you and Draco still need to exchange gifts since Teddy and I have already gotten ours,” she said with a wink to Harry.

Harry flushed, but looked quickly at his handsome mate and said, “Why don’t you go first. If you wouldn’t mind. Mine is a little…um…intricate.”

“Okay. It’s not a lot, but it’s from the heart. I hope you like it.” With that, Draco passed a small package to Harry and a larger one to Teddy. Teddy finished opening his first and exclaimed over the dragon that was now flying around his shoulders. Harry took a little longer with his. The small box contained a beautiful pocket watch with a pair of Veela wings engraved on the top. “It’s beautiful Draco! Thank you.” He was quickly interrupted by Draco instructing him to look inside. Harry popped open the lid of the watch and noticed more was engraved inside and when he’d read it he was almost in tears. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." There was also another line added below, “I say we love.” The quote was from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy which they had watched several times over the weeks spent getting to know each other at The Phoenix House. Reaching over to grab Draco and pull him close in a crushing hug, Harry said, “It’s perfect. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than loving you.”

Draco hugged Harry back while climbing into his lap to steal a kiss before saying, “Okay, it’s my turn now!”

Harry and Narcissa laughed while Teddy just continued eating his sweets and watching the adults being silly. “Narcissa, if you would?” Narcissa called for a house-elf to bring out Harry’s gift for them and soon there was a large box sitting on the table in front of Draco wrapped in beautiful red and silver striped paper. He made short work of the paper and recognized the break-away box so knew it must be another statue from Luc. When he pulled the sides of the box back to reveal the statue, he was stunned to see a miniature likeness of himself and Harry sitting in the gazebo in the Malfoy rose gardens. It was stunning and just as he was about to say as much to Harry, the couple stood up as if leaving and Draco could see more of the couple. He was wearing ankle-length Slytherin green robes with his wings extended through slits in the back and his hair seemed to be blowing in the wind even though there was no wind in the room. Harry’s miniature was wearing robes of a darker green that made his eyes stand out and he smiled at mini-Draco and then mini-Draco smiled back before they both turned to the real Draco and smiled. Looking a little confused, he glanced at Harry who just nodded towards the statue again. When he looked back, mini-Harry was on his knees and was holding out something to him. Draco took what he was holding and looked at it in shock. He was holding a ring made of platinum with a small dragon with diamond eyes moving around the circle of the band. Could this possible be what he thought it was? Again, looking to his boyfriend, he found Harry in the same position as mini-Harry, on his knees looking up hopefully. He took Draco’s hand in his own and placed a kiss on it before he smiled and asked, “Draco Malfoy, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Tears started falling quickly from his eyes and he managed a shaky, “Yes, I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.” Draco pulled his love into his arms and covered his face with kisses before capturing his mouth for a searing declaration of his love.

Teddy finally seemed to understand what was going on and ran over to Harry and Draco and asked loudly, “Does this mean that Draco will be part of our family for real now? Will he be living with us? Is he going to help you take care of me? When are you getting married? Can I be in the wedding?”

All of the adults laughed at the small boy’s enthusiasm for the situation and Harry gently placed a finger over his mouth to answer his questions. “In order, yes, yes, yes, we haven’t decided yet and yes. Oh I see you forgot your questions?” Harry chuckled at the confusion on his godson’s face. “Let me try again. Yes Draco will be part of our family for real. Yes he will be living with us. Yes he will help me take care of you. We haven’t decided when we’re getting married since I only just asked him. And lastly, of course you can be in the wedding. Are you okay with all of this? We need to know because you are very important to both of us and we want you to be happy.”

Launching himself at the two lovers, he exclaimed, “Yes! I can’t wait! I love Draco and now he’s really mine not just my cousin who comes to visit me. But why is Auntie Cissy crying?” Whispering to Harry and Draco, he leaned in closer and asked, “Does she not want you to get married?”

Giving the little boy a quick kiss after moving to sit beside them, Narcissa tried to explain happy tears to a four-year-old, “Oh no, Teddy. That’s not why I’m crying. I love Draco and Harry and I’m just so happy that they are getting married that all the happiness inside me had to come out and that’s what the tears are for. I know we are all going to be one big, happy family because we have so much love to share with each other. I’m also certain that you will be the most handsome young man in the wedding.”

And of course, Narcissa was never wrong.


End file.
